Former Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is continuing her work in Middle East affairs after leaving Capitol Hill by joining the U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA) as a senior fellow. Her role involves advising the group on initiatives to shift pharmaceutical supply chains from China to the Abraham Accords region, which includes Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain. Rodgers highlighted the vulnerability of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, which is heavily dependent on Chinese production of APIs and generic drugs.
Rodgers emphasized that while the Trump administration’s efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. have led to some onshoring, the high costs of doing business in the U.S. have made it challenging. She noted that the Abraham Accords nations offer a viable alternative, with significant investment in research and manufacturing. The former congresswoman stressed the importance of these diplomatic ties in ensuring national security and reducing dependence on adversarial nations like China.
She also mentioned the potential for establishing an FDA office in the region, which she hopes will be realized this year. Rodgers believes that the success of the Abraham Accords has created government-to-government partnerships, and the USIEA is now focusing on expanding economic relationships with these nations. She expressed confidence that other Abraham Accords countries are interested in collaborating with the U.S. on this initiative to diversify from energy exports to pharmaceuticals, thereby serving both national security and economic interests.