Republican lawmakers are fiercely criticizing President Biden’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its decision to renew a taxpayer-funded grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a controversial non-profit involved in bat coronavirus research. British zoologist Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance, which has been linked to the COVID-19 lab leak theory, will resume its research after the grant was suspended by former President Donald Trump in April 2020. The original grant was terminated due to concerns over the funneling of funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where risky gain-of-function research is conducted. US intelligence assessments suggest that the COVID-19 virus likely originated from this lab. The Biden administration’s decision to renew the grant has sparked outrage among members of Congress.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, criticized the NIH’s “absolutely reckless” decision, highlighting EcoHealth’s negligence and breach of contract in relation to coronavirus research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Griffith called for the suspension of funding and the withholding of new contracts until EcoHealth demonstrates a willingness to cooperate with Congress and address outstanding concerns.
In December 2020, House Republican lawmakers released a report suggesting that the Wuhan Institute of Virology had a lab incident linked to China’s biological weapons program, resulting in the spill-over of COVID-19 to the general public. FBI Director Chris Wray also confirmed the likelihood of COVID-19 originating from a Chinese lab.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, criticized the grant renewal, stating that it fails the “COVID smell test.” She argued that EcoHealth has already betrayed the trust of American taxpayers by funding experiments in the Wuhan lab and called for greater accountability and the defunding of EcoHealth.
James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the grant renewal “bat crazy,” emphasizing the need for a full investigation into the events at the Wuhan lab before further funding is granted.
EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak defended the grant’s renewal, stating that the funding would be used solely for lab work and analysis of collected samples. Daszak denied allegations that gain-of-function research was conducted using EcoHealth funds.
As part of the grant renewal terms, EcoHealth has agreed to avoid subcontracting work to China, collecting new virus samples from the wild, or engaging in gain-of-function research.
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have previously accused NIH of lying about funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan. NIH has since admitted to supporting research that led to the creation of viruses with increased function or lethality.
Calls to defund the grant have been echoed by Senior Vice President Justin Goodman of the White Coat Waste Project, who highlighted the misspending of tax dollars and the need for accountability within EcoHealth Alliance.
Overall, Republican lawmakers express serious concerns about the renewal of the grant to EcoHealth Alliance and call for greater transparency and accountability in relation to their research and funding practices.
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