Alexandria Equities (ARE) Risk Factors

Although we thoroughly review the physical condition of our properties before they are acquired, and as they are developed or redeveloped, any of our properties may have characteristics or deficiencies unknown to us that could adversely affect the property's value or revenue potential.

We depend upon the services and contributions of relatively few senior officers. The loss of services or contributions of any one of them may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and prospects. We use the extensive personal and business relationships that members of our management have developed over time with owners of office/laboratory and tech office properties and with major tenants and venture investment portfolio companies in the life science, technology, and agtech industries. We cannot assure our stockholders that our senior officers will remain employed with us. In California and certain other regions where we have operations, there is intense competition for individuals with skill sets needed for our business. Moreover, we expect that the high cost of living in California, where our headquarters and many of our properties are located, as a result of high state and local taxes and increased home prices, may impair our ability to attract and retain employees in the future. Due to the long-term nature of our investments and properties, we are unable to predict and may be unable to effectively control such costs. If we do not succeed in attracting new personnel and retaining and motivating existing personnel, our business may suffer, and we may be unable to implement our current initiatives or grow effectively.

We believe we have favorable relationships with our existing suppliers and contractors, and we generally have not encountered difficulty collaborating with and obtaining materials and skilled labor, nor experienced significant delays or increases in overall project costs due to disputes, work stoppages, or contractors' misconduct or failure to perform. However, it is possible we may experience these events in the future, or our existing suppliers and contractors may encounter supply chain disruptions that hinder their ability to supply necessary materials and labor to us. As a result, we may be forced to seek new resources for our construction needs. We may become reliant on unfamiliar supply chains or relatively small supply partners, which may cause uncertainty in the quality, cost, and timely completion of our construction projects. Our ability to continue to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient network of qualified suppliers who can adequately meet our construction timing and quality standards can be a significant challenge, particularly if global supply chain disruptions materialize and persist. If we fail to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient number of suppliers and contractors who can appropriately address our construction needs, we may experience disruptions in our suppliers' logistics or supply chain networks or information technology systems, and other factors beyond our or our suppliers' control. If we are unable to access materials and labor to complete our construction projects within our expected budgets and meet our tenants' demands and expectations in a timely and efficient manner, our results of operations, cash flows, and reputation may be adversely impacted.

Our properties are subject to increases in operating expenses, including insurance, property taxes, utilities, administrative costs, and other costs associated with security, landscaping, and repairs and maintenance of our properties. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 94% of our leases (on an RSF basis) were triple net leases, which require tenants to pay substantially all real estate and other rent-related taxes, insurance, utilities, common area expenses, and other operating expenses (including increases thereto) in addition to base rent. Our operating expenses may increase as a result of tax reassessments that our properties are subject to on a regular basis (annually, triennially, etc.), which normally result in increases in property taxes over time as property values increase. In California, however, pursuant to the existing state law commonly referred to as Proposition 13, properties are generally reassessed to market value at the time of change in ownership or completion of construction; thereafter, annual property reassessments are limited to 2% of previously assessed values. As a result, Proposition 13 generally results in significant below-market assessed values over time. From time to time, lawmakers and political coalitions initiate efforts to repeal or amend Proposition 13 to eliminate its application to commercial and industrial properties, including by introducing Proposition 15 on the ballot in California, which failed to pass adoption on November 3, 2020. Our triple net leases allow us to pass through, among other costs, substantially all real estate and rent-related taxes to our tenants in the form of tenant recoveries. Consequently, as a result of our triple net leases, we do not expect potential increases on property taxes as a result of tax reassessments to significantly impact our operating results. We cannot be certain, however, that we will be able to continue to negotiate pass-through provisions related to taxes in tenant leases in the future, or that higher pass-through expenses will not lead to lower base rents in the long run as a result of tenants' not being able to absorb higher overall occupancy costs. Thus, the repeal of or amendment to Proposition 13 could lead to a decrease in our income from rentals over time. If our operating expenses increase without a corresponding increase in revenues, our profitability could diminish. In addition, we cannot be certain that increased costs will not lead our current or prospective tenants to seek space outside of the state of California, which could significantly hinder our ability to increase our rents or to maintain existing occupancy levels. The repeal of or amendment to Proposition 13 in California may significantly increase occupancy costs for some of our tenants and may adversely impact their financial condition, ability to make rental payments, and ability to renew lease agreements, which in turn could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. In addition, we expect to incur higher costs as a result of doing business in California and other states. For example, compliance with various laws passed in California and civil unrest in Washington may result in cost increases due to new constraints on our business and the effects of potential non-compliance by us or third-party service providers. Any changes in connection with compliance could be time consuming and expensive, while failure to timely implement required changes could subject us to liability for non-compliance, any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid. The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that went into effect on January 1, 2006 (which also made changes to the public Part C Medicare health plan program), explicitly prohibits government entities from directly negotiating drug prices with manufacturers. Recently, there has been significant public outcry against price increases viewed to be unfair and unwarranted. Currently, the outcome of potential reforms and changes to government negotiation/regulation to drug pricing is unknown. Changes in policy that limit prices may reduce the financial incentives for the research and development efforts that lead to discovery and production of new therapies and solutions to life-threatening conditions. Negative impacts of new policies could adversely affect our tenants' and venture investment portfolio companies' businesses, including life science, technology, and agtech companies, which may reduce the demand for office/laboratory space and negatively impact our operating results and our business.

Many of our tenants engage in research and development activities that involve controlled use of hazardous materials, chemicals, and biological and radioactive compounds. In the event of contamination or injury from the use of these hazardous materials, we could be held liable for damages that result. This liability could exceed our resources and any recovery available through any applicable insurance coverage, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Together with our tenants, we must comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous materials and waste products. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, or changes thereto, could adversely affect our business or our tenants' businesses and their ability to make rental payments to us.

Changes to U.S. tax laws that may be enacted in the future could negatively impact the overall economy, government revenues, the real estate industry, our tenants, and us, in ways that cannot be reliably predicted. Furthermore, any future changes to U.S. tax laws may negatively impact certain of our tenants' operating results, financial condition, and future business plans. Such changes to the tax laws may also result in reduced government revenues, and therefore reduced government spending, which may negatively impact some of our tenants that rely on government funding. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was enacted on December 20, 2017, and significantly revised the U.S. corporate income tax law by, among other things, reducing the corporate income tax rate to 21% for tax years beginning in 2018, imposing additional limitations on the deductibility of interest, changing the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards, allowing for the expensing of certain capital expenditures, and implementing a modified territorial system. We are currently unable to predict whether any future changes will occur and any impact such changes could have on our operating results, financial condition, and future business operations.

Federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations may require us, as a current or prior owner or operator of real estate, to investigate and remediate hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum products released at or from any of our properties. The cost of investigating and remediating contamination could be substantial and could exceed the amount of any insurance coverage available to us. In addition, the presence of contamination, or the failure to properly remediate, may adversely affect our ability to lease or sell an affected property, or to borrow funds using that property as collateral. Under environmental laws and regulations, we may have to pay government entities or third parties for property damage and for investigation and remediation costs incurred by those parties relating to contaminated properties regardless of whether we knew of or caused the contamination. Even if more than one party was responsible for the contamination, we may be held responsible for all of the remediation costs. In addition, third parties may sue us for damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination, or jointly responsible parties may contest their responsibility or be financially unable to pay their share of such costs. Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance, and removal of asbestos-containing building materials. These laws may impose fines and penalties on us for the release of asbestos-containing building materials and may allow third parties to seek recovery from us for personal injury from exposure to asbestos fibers. We have detected asbestos-containing building materials at some of our properties, but we do not expect that they will result in material environmental costs or liabilities for us. Environmental laws and regulations also require the removal or upgrading of certain underground storage tanks and regulate: - The discharge of stormwater, wastewater, and any water pollutants;- The emission of air pollutants;- The generation, management, and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, substances, or wastes; and - Workplace health and safety. Many of our tenants routinely handle hazardous substances and wastes as part of their operations at our properties. Environmental laws and regulations subject our tenants, and potentially us, to liability resulting from these activities. Environmental liabilities could also affect a tenant's ability to make rental payments to us. We require our tenants to comply with these environmental laws and regulations and to indemnify us against any related liabilities. Independent environmental consultants have conducted Phase I or similar environmental assessments at our properties. We intend to use consultants to conduct similar environmental assessments on our future acquisitions. This type of assessment generally includes a site inspection, interviews, and a public records review, but no subsurface sampling. These assessments and certain additional investigations of our properties have not to date revealed any environmental liability that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, or results of operations. Additional investigations have included, as appropriate: - Asbestos surveys;- Radon surveys;- Lead-based paint surveys;- Mold surveys;- Additional public records review;- Subsurface sampling; and - Other testing. Nevertheless, it is possible that the assessments on our current properties have not revealed, and that assessments on future acquisitions will not reveal, all environmental liabilities. Consequently, there may be material environmental liabilities of which we are unaware that may result in substantial costs to us or our tenants and that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Environmental, health, or safety matters are subject to evolving regulatory requirements. Costs and capital expenditures relating to the evolving requirements depend on the timing of the promulgation and enforcement of new standards. As discussed in the immediately preceding risk factor, due to concern over the risks of climate change, a more restrictive regulatory framework to reduce greenhouse gas pollution might be implemented, including the adoption of carbon taxes, restrictive permitting, and increased efficiency standards. These requirements could make our operations more expensive and lengthen our project times. The costs of complying with evolving regulatory requirements, including greenhouse gas regulations and policies, could negatively impact our financial results. Moreover, changes in environmental regulations could inhibit or interrupt our operations, or require modifications to our facilities. Accordingly, environmental, health, or safety regulatory matters could result in significant unanticipated costs or liabilities and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, and the market price of our common stock.

Our business may be adversely affected by social, political, and economic instability, unrest, or disruption in a geographic region in which we operate, regardless of cause, including legal, regulatory, and policy changes by a new presidential administration in the U.S., protests, demonstrations, strikes, riots, civil disturbance, disobedience, insurrection, or social and other political unrest. Such events may result in restrictions, curfews, or other actions and give rise to significant changes in regional and global economic conditions and cycles, which may adversely affect our financial condition and operations. In 2020, there were protests in cities throughout the U.S. as well as globally, including in Hong Kong, in connection with civil rights, liberties, and social and governmental reform. While protests have been peaceful in many locations, looting, vandalism, and fires have occurred in cities such as Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Minneapolis that have led to the imposition of mandatory curfews and, in some locations, deployment of the U.S. National Guard. Government actions in an effort to protect people and property, including curfews and restrictions on business operations, may disrupt operations, harm perceptions of personal well-being, and increase the need for additional expenditures on security resources. In addition, action resulting from such social or political unrest may pose significant risks to our personnel, facilities, and operations. The effect and duration of demonstrations, protests, or other factors is uncertain, and we cannot ensure there will not be further political or social unrest in the future or that there will not be other events that could lead to social, political, and economic disruptions. If such events or disruptions persist for a prolonged period of time, our overall business and results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, a new U.S. President, Joseph R. Biden, was elected in November 2020. On January 6, 2021, a group of supporters of President Trump, some of whom were armed and violent, illegally stormed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol as a response to false claims of widespread voter fraud and encouragement from U.S. President Trump to protest the Congressional certification of the U.S. presidential election results. Several people were killed in the incursion. Following the deadly event at the Capitol, on January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives voted to impeach U.S. President Trump for incitement of insurrection. On January 20, 2021, the presidential inauguration of President Biden was carried out with increased security measures but without further major incident. The aftermath of the November 2020 presidential election, including the January 6, 2021, violent disruption at the Capitol,has left the U.S. in what many consider to be an extremely heightened state of political and social tension, and it is unclear whether this tension will dissipate or intensify in coming months and what resulting impacts may occur to adversely affect our business operations or the safety of our employees, our tenants, and the communities in which we operate. Changes in federal policy, including tax policies, and at regulatory agencies occur over time through policy and personnel changes following elections, which lead to changes involving the level of oversight and focus on certain industries and corporate entities. The nature, timing, and economic and political effects of potential changes to the current legal and regulatory frameworks affecting the life science, technology, and agtech industries, as well as the real estate industry in general, remain highly uncertain. For example, any proposals to make changes related to U.S. tax law, such as those involving Section 1031 Exchanges, may have a material adverse effect on our future business, financial condition, results of operations, and growth prospects. From time to time, we dispose of properties in transactions qualified as Section 1031 Exchanges. If certain proposed changes were ultimately effected and the laws surrounding Section 1031 Exchanges amended or repealed, we may not be able to dispose of properties on a tax-deferred basis. In such a case, our earnings and profits and our taxable income would increase, which could increase dividend income and reduce the return of capital to our stockholders. As a result, we may be required to pay additional dividends to stockholders, or if we do not pay additional dividends, our corporate income tax liability could increase and we may be subject to interest and penalties.

In recent years, the outbreaks of a number of diseases, including avian influenza, H1N1, and various other "superbugs," have increased the risk of a pandemic. In December 2019, COVID-19 was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 has since spread around the globe, including the U.S. COVID-19 has been reported in every state in the U.S., including those where we own and operate our properties, have executive offices, and conduct principal operations. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and on March 13, 2020, the U.S. declared a national emergency with respect to COVID-19. The potential impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a significant adverse impact across regional and global economies and financial markets. The global impact of the outbreak has been rapidly evolving and as new cases of the virus have continued, particularly in the U.S., countries around the world and states around the U.S., have reacted by instituting quarantines and restrictions on travel. Almost every state implemented some form of shelter-in-place or stay-at-home directive between March and May 2020, including, among others, the cities of Boston, San Francisco (including five other San Francisco Bay Area counties), and Seattle, and the states of California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York, where we own properties. The lockdown restrictions implemented included quarantines, restrictions on travel, shelter-in-place orders, school closures, restrictions on types of business that may continue to operate, and/or restrictions on types of construction projects that could continue. These quarantines generally came with exceptions for essential healthcare/public health operations; health manufacturing; clinical research, development, and testing for COVID-19; research and laboratory activities; essential manufacturing for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, testing materials, laboratory supplies, medical equipment, instruments; and safety products; essential retail, including pharmacies; essential building services, such as cleaning and maintenance; skilled trades, such as plumbers and electricians; and certain essential construction projects. Beginning in early May 2020, parts of the U.S. began to ease the lockdown restrictions and allow for the reopening of businesses. The gradual reopening of retail, manufacturing, and office facilities came with required or recommended safety protocols. Due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases subsequent to the reopening, in November 2020, parts of the U.S. have implemented additional stay-at-home and lockdown restrictions. Additionally, in recent months, new COVID-19 variants were discovered in the United Kingdom ("U.K."), among other countries, which have spread globally, including the U.S. While these strains do not appear to cause more severe symptoms in individuals, they have spread faster and more easily upon contact. As a result, more stringent lockdown restrictions have been implemented in regions globally and within the U.S. It is unknown when easing of these lockdowns and another reopening will occur even as COVID-19 vaccines become available across the U.S. via Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") by the FDA. There is no assurance that the reopening of businesses, even if those businesses adhere to recommended safety protocols, will enable us or many of our tenants to avoid adverse effects on our and our tenants' operations and businesses. As of the date of this report, all our ground-up development projects undergoing construction have resumed construction. New lockdowns instituted by local and state governments may cause our construction projects to have to pause, causing delays on our expected future deliveries. Construction workers are also practicing social distancing and following rules that restrict gathering of large groups of people in close proximity, as well as other appropriate practices, that may slow the pace of construction. Although critical research and development efforts are continuing in our office/laboratory properties, in certain cases such research and development efforts have fewer workers, and non-critical workers in these buildings and most office buildings are working remotely. When appropriate, certain spaces have been and may continue to be subject to temporary closure for quarantine and proper disinfecting. Our properties and tenant base include a small amount of restaurant, conference center, fitness centers, and retail space, which accounts for approximately 0.5% of our annual rental revenues as of December 31, 2020. Retail tenants in particular continue to be severely impacted by stay-at-home and lockdown restrictions and social distancing protocols that remain in place across all of the markets where our properties are located. The COVID-19 outbreak has already had a significant adverse impact on the economies of the world, including that of the U.S., and this pandemic, and future pandemics, could trigger a period of prolonged global economic slowdown or recession. The effects of COVID-19 or another pandemic on our (or our tenants') ability to successfully operate could be adversely impacted due to, among other factors: - The continued service and availability of personnel, including our executive officers and other leaders that are part of our management team, and our ability to recruit, attract, and retain skilled personnel. To the extent our management or personnel are impacted in significant numbers by the outbreak of pandemic or epidemic disease and are not available or allowed to conduct work, our business and operating results may be negatively impacted;- Our (or our tenants') ability to operate, generally or in affected areas, or delays in the supply of products or services from our vendors that are necessary for us to operate effectively;- Our tenants' ability to pay rent on their leases in full and timely and, to the extent necessary, our inability to restructure our tenants' long-term rent obligations on terms favorable to us or to timely recapture the space for re-leasing (refer to the risk factor on the next page within this Item 1A of this annual report on Form 10-K);- Difficulty in our accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all, and a severe disruption and instability in the global financial markets, or deterioration in credit and financing conditions, which may affect our (or our tenants') ability to access capital necessary to fund business operations or replace or renew maturing liabilities on a timely basis and may adversely affect the valuation of financial assets and liabilities, any of which could affect our (or our tenants') ability to meet liquidity and capital expenditure requirements or could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows;- Complete or partial closures of, or other operational issues at, one or more of our offices or properties resulting from government action or directives;- Our (or our tenants') ability to continue or complete construction as planned for our tenants' operations, or delays in the supply of materials or labor necessary for construction, which may affect our (or our tenants') ability to complete construction or to complete it timely, our ability to prevent a lease termination, and our ability to collect rent, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows;- The cost of implementing precautionary measures against COVID-19, including, but not limited to, potential additional health insurance and labor-related costs;- Governmental efforts (such as moratoriums on or suspensions of eviction proceedings) that may affect our ability to collect rent or enforce remedies for the failure of our tenants to pay rent;- Uncertainty related to whether the U.S. Congress or state legislatures will pass additional laws providing for additional economic stimulus packages, governmental funding, or other relief programs, whether such measures will be enacted, whether our tenants will be eligible or will apply for any such funds, whether the funds, if available, could be used by our tenants to pay rent, and whether such funds will be sufficient to supplement our tenants' rent and other obligations to us;- Deterioration of global economic conditions and job losses, which may decrease demand for and occupancy levels of our rental properties and may cause our rental rates and property values to be negatively impacted;- Our dependence on short-term and long-term debt sources, including our unsecured senior line of credit, commercial paper program, and senior notes, which may affect our ability to continue our investing activities and make distributions to our stockholders;- Declines in the valuation of our properties, which may affect our ability to dispose of assets at attractive prices or to obtain debt financing secured by our properties and may reduce the availability of debt funding;- Declines in the valuation of our venture investment portfolio, which may (i) impede our ability to realize the value at which these investments are carried if we are required to dispose of them, (ii) make it difficult for us to sell these investments on a timely basis, and (iii) impair the value of such investments;- Refusal or failure by one or more of our lenders under our credit facility to fund their financing commitment to us, which we may not be able to replace on favorable terms, or at all;- To the extent we enter into derivative financial instruments, one or more counterparties to our derivative financial instruments could default on their obligations to us or could fail, increasing the risk that we may not realize the benefits of utilizing these instruments;- Any possession taken of our properties, in whole or in part, by governmental authorities for public purposes in eminent domain proceedings;- Our level of insurance coverage and recovery we receive under any insurance we maintain, which may be delayed by, or insufficient to fully offset potential/actual losses caused by, COVID-19;- Any increase in insurance premiums and imposition of large deductibles;- Our level of dependence on the Internet, as it relates to employees' working remotely, and increases in malware campaigns and phishing attacks preying on the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, which may increase our vulnerability to cyber attacks;- Our ability to ensure business continuity in the event our continuity of operations plan is not effective or is improperly implemented or deployed during a disruption; and - Our ability to operate, which may cause our business and operating results to decline or may impact our ability to comply with regulatory obligations and may lead to reputational harm and regulatory issues or fines. While the rapid development and fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic precludes any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact of COVID-19, the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of the global financial market and an increase in unemployment in the U.S. Although the FDA has approved certain therapies and two vaccines for emergency use and distribution to certain groups of individuals as of the date of this report, (i) the initial rollout of vaccine distribution has encountered significant delays, and (ii) there remain uncertainties as to the amount of vaccine available for distribution, the logistics of implementing a national vaccine program, and the overall efficacy of the vaccines once widely administered, especially as new strains of COVID-19 have been discovered, and the level of resistance these new strains have to the existing vaccines, if any,remains unknown. Until such therapies and vaccines are widely available and effective, the pandemic and public and private responses to the pandemic may lead to deterioration of economic conditions, an economic downturn, and/or a recession, at a global scale, which could materially affect our (or our tenants') performance, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

During 2017–2018, the U.S. Federal Reserve gradually increased the target range for the federal funds rate. As of December 31, 2018, the federal funds rate was set at a range from 2.25% to 2.50%. From August 2019 through March 2020, the U.S. Federal Reserve initiated a series of rate cuts. As of December 31, 2020, the federal funds rate was set at a range from 0% to 0.25%. The U.S. Federal Reserve has not indicated any intention to continue to cut the federal funds rate, nor to raise the rate. Should the U.S. Federal Reserve raise the rate in the future, this will likely result in an increase in market interest rates, which may increase our interest expense under our variable-rate borrowings and the costs of refinancing existing indebtedness or obtaining new debt. In addition, increases in market interest rates may result in a decrease in the value of our real estate and a decrease in the market price of our common stock. Increases in market interest rates may also adversely affect the securities markets generally, which could reduce the market price of our common stock without regard to our operating performance. Any such unfavorable changes to our borrowing costs and stock price could significantly impact our ability to raise new debt and equity capital going forward.

Our tenant base includes entities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, life science, technology, agtech, and related industries; academic institutions; government institutions; and private foundations. Our tenants base their research and development budgets on several factors, including the need to develop new products, the availability of government and other funding, competition, and the general availability of resources. Our investments through our venture investment portfolio are also in companies that, similar to our tenant base, are concentrated in the life science, technology, and agtech industries. Research and development budgets fluctuate due to changes in available resources, research priorities, general economic conditions, institutional and government budgetary limitations, and mergers and consolidations of entities. Our business could be adversely impacted by a significant decrease in research and development expenditures by our tenants, our venture investment portfolio companies, or the life science, technology, and agtech industries. Our tenants also include research institutions whose funding is largely dependent on grants from government agencies, such as the NIH, the National Science Foundation, and similar agencies or organizations. U.S. government funding of research and development is subject to the political process, which is often unpredictable. Other programs, such as Homeland Security or defense, could be viewed by the government as higher priorities. Additionally, proposals to reduce or eliminate budgetary deficits have sometimes included reduced allocations to the NIH and other U.S. government agencies that fund research and development activities. Additionally, the inability of the U.S. Congress to enact a budget for a fiscal year or the occurrence of partial or complete U.S. federal government shutdowns may result in temporary closures of agencies such as the FDA or NIH, which could adversely affect business operations of our tenants who are dependent on government approvals and appropriations. Any shift away from funding of research and development or delays surrounding the approval of government budget proposals may adversely impact our tenants' operations, which in turn may impact their demand for office/laboratory and tech office space and their ability to make lease payments to us and thus adversely impact our results of operations.