Congressional Investigation Uncovers Taxpayer Funding of Wuhan Lab Research

A congressional investigation has revealed that taxpayer dollars were allegedly used to fund potentially dangerous research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China through a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, EcoHealth Alliance. EcoHealth President Peter Daszak is scheduled to testify publicly on Wednesday before a House Select Subcommittee amid allegations of "discrepancies" in his previous testimony.

A congressional investigation has uncovered evidence that taxpayer funds were allegedly used to support controversial research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China. The findings have raised concerns about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, EcoHealth Alliance, in funding research at the Chinese laboratory.

According to congressional lawmakers, EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent pandemics, used taxpayer dollars "to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology" in China. Gain-of-function research involves modifying a virus to make it more infectious among humans.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is set to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, where EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak is expected to testify. The hearing is expected to focus on discrepancies identified in Daszak's previous closed-door testimony before the subcommittee.

In a letter to Daszak last month, Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup and other GOP committee chairs highlighted "numerous" discrepancies between his testimony and outside evidence. They expressed concern that these discrepancies "undermine your credibility as well as every factual assertion you made during your transcribed interview."

Lawmakers are calling on Daszak to publicly explain EcoHealth's relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and address the discrepancies in his testimony. They also seek to determine whether the research funded by EcoHealth at the WIV could have contributed to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daszak's testimony is of interest to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Democrats, while emphasizing the importance of biosafety reforms, have also expressed concerns about EcoHealth Alliance's compliance with federal reporting requirements.

The investigation has also shed light on the flow of U.S. taxpayer funds to Chinese entities conducting coronavirus research. Millions of dollars were granted to EcoHealth Alliance by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which were then redirected to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Wuhan University.

The FBI and U.S. Energy Department have concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a lab leak in China. The congressional investigation into the funding of the Wuhan lab research is part of ongoing efforts to determine the origins of the virus and prevent future pandemics.

The public hearing on Wednesday is expected to provide further insight into EcoHealth Alliance's role in funding research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the potential implications for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.