Former GOP lawmaker Cathy McMorris Rodgers to help U.S. allies shift pharmaceutical supply chains away from China

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the former Republican congresswoman who co-founded the Abraham Accords Caucus, has joined the U.S. Israel Education Association as a senior fellow to help steer a new push to reduce reliance on Chinese pharmaceutical supply chains by strengthening ties with Abraham Accords nations.

Rodgers said the initiative focuses on friendshoring, sourcing critical medicines and inputs from U.S.-aligned partners in the region, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. "I'm really excited to be helping advise the U.S. Israel Education Association, both as a former member of Congress, but also someone who is very supportive and believes that the U.S.-Israel relationship must be a priority," she told Fox News Digital. "I'm advising them specifically on an initiative around friendshoring pharmaceutical supply chains into the Abraham Accord region." The former congresswoman added that many pharmaceuticals are controlled by China, making the supply chain vulnerable, and that the initiative aligns with priorities she pursued in Congress.

Rodgers noted that the Abraham Accords region could provide a source for raw materials and manufacturing, given its investment in research, development and production. "We see because of President Trump's tariffs against China, many pharmaceutical companies are onshoring. So, they're bringing back manufacturing to America. However, with the generics, which are 92% of the prescriptions in our nation, as well as the raw materials, the business reality is extremely difficult because of the cost of operation in the United States driven by regulations and labor costs. So, a region like the Abraham Accords, where Israel, UAE, Bahrain and others, we could both source the raw material and these countries are investing a lot in research and in development and in manufacturing," Rodgers said. A Brookings Institution report released in July estimated that Chinese APIs were included in about one-quarter of drug volume sold in the United States.

Rodgers emphasized that the region’s academic and industrial base could help diversify critical inputs while maintaining high standards for safety and innovation. She argued that the initiative would also support national security by reducing dependence on a single source for APIs and other key materials. The Trump administration’s emphasis on onshoring manufacturing, she noted, remains relevant as costs and regulatory hurdles in the United States complicate full domestic production for generics.

Rodgers stressed that Abraham Accords has already produced government-to-government ties and that the USIEA’s push is to deepen economic relationships among Accords nations. She said other Accords countries have expressed interest in working with the United States on this initiative and that a primary goal is to establish an FDA office in the region within the year.

This approach aligns with a broader U.S. policy focus on supply-chain resilience and alliance-building in the Middle East as Washington seeks to diversify sources of critical medicines and reduce exposure to geopolitical risk.