A provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which the U.S. House of Representatives approved on Tuesday, would establish a U.S. Food and Drug Administration office in the Abraham Accords region.
The U.S.-Israel Education Association stated that the idea for the measure dates back to a bipartisan congressional delegation to Israel in 2019, during which the group briefed lawmakers on China’s expanding role in global medical research and manufacturing, including within Israel’s advanced technology sector.
Those briefings highlighted the risks of a heavy U.S. reliance on geopolitical rivals for critical medical supplies and introduced legislators to a concept that later became known as “friendshoring,” the practice of shifting essential production to trusted allies, the organization said.
“Friendshoring gives the United States a way to reduce unnecessary exposure to adversarial actors,” Heather Johnston, president of USIEA, stated. “The Abraham Accords countries offer stable, capable partners who align with our long-term security and economic interests.”
Johnston noted that those concerns intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed U.S. dependence on Chinese supply chains for pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment.
“At the same time, the Abraham Accords opened an entirely new pathway for regional cooperation,” she stated. “Our work has focused on helping lawmakers understand how those developments fit together and why the United States has strategic alternatives with trusted partners.
Joan Leslie McGill, executive director of USIEA, stated that the presence of FDA personnel in the region would directly benefit Americans.
“Companies across the Abraham Accords countries are already doing sophisticated work,” McGill said. “Having American FDA personnel on the ground will strengthen oversight and coordination on vital medical projects that ultimately benefit everyday Americans,” she said.
The organization said it has conducted bipartisan briefings for members of Congress, industry leaders and officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations. Additional briefings with the National Security Council and the FDA focused on cooperation among Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
Peter Pitts, a USIEA fellow and former FDA associate commissioner, stated that the provision reflects growing congressional recognition of the strategic value of the Abraham Accords.
“As we walked them through what Israel and its neighbors are building together—especially in biotechnology and advanced manufacturing—it became clear that these partnerships could strengthen America’s long-term stability in critical health and research sectors,” Pitts said.
