The Department of Health and Human Services has suspended all funding allocated to EcoHealth Alliance immediately across government. – The company was conducting gain-of-function research at its Wuhan lab using taxpayer funds before the coronavirus pandemic began.
HHS made this decision citing evidence contained in the House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee’s staff-level report on the nonprofit organization.
Confidential document ‘certainly’ suggests coronavirus originated from a leaked Wuhan lab and was covered up by the Chinese Communist Party: House representative
According to HHS, EcoHealth knowingly violated the terms of a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health.
A spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance told Fox News Digital: “We are disappointed in HHS’s decision today and we intend to contest the proposed ban.”
“We strongly disagree with this decision and will refute each of these allegations and present evidence showing that NIH’s continued support of the EcoHealth Alliance is in the public interest.” told FOX News Digital.
In response, the House Coronavirus Subcommittee said Wednesday that these are “not the actions of organizations or individuals who should continue to receive taxpayer funds.”
Peter Daszak and members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China on February 3, 2021. (Héctor Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
“Eco Health Alliance and [EcoHealth President] Dr. Peter Daszak should never again accept a dime from American taxpayers,” Committee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said in a statement Wednesday, adding, “EcoHealth is committed to the appears to have willingly violated multiple requirements of a multi-million dollar National Institutes of Health grant and made false statements to the NIH.”
Wenstrup added that this behavior is “completely abhorrent and indefensible and must be addressed with swift action.”
“The immediate cessation of funding and future eligibility for EcoHealth is not only a victory for the American taxpayer, but also a victory for the national security of the United States and the safety of citizens around the world,” Wenstrup said. ” he said.
Members of the WHO team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan on February 3, 2021. (Héctor Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Mr. Wenstrup’s committee, with support from Democrats on the committee, brought Mr. Daszak to testify publicly earlier this month.
Fox News Digital previously reported that EcoHealth Alliance received a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). U.S. taxpayer money went to Chinese companies conducting coronavirus research through EcoHealth Alliance.
The money, at least $600,000, was sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for research evaluating the transmission of bat coronaviruses to humans. The study included performing RNA extraction and DNA sequencing on bat samples, as well as biological experiments on pathogen spillover from bats to humans.
Peter Daszak, a member of the WHO team investigating the origins of the new coronavirus infection, in Wuhan, China, on February 3, 2021. (Reuters/Thomas Peter/File Photo)
U.S. taxpayer money flows into Chinese companies doing coronavirus research before coronavirus pandemic: GAO
EcoHealth Alliance also received more than $200,000, which will be directed to Wuhan University to help the Wuhan Institute of Virology collect biological samples from people in China who have been exposed to high levels of bats to conduct further screening, etc. , earmarked for disease surveillance research activities.
Former NIH Director Francis Collins and other former U.S. government officials say that U.S. tax dollars are not allowed to be used to conduct gain-of-function research (research that modifies viruses to make them more infectious to humans). said.
EcoHealth Alliance president testifies on origins of coronavirus, taxpayer-funded Wuhan lab research
The U.S. Department of Energy and FBI have determined that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) likely originated from a laboratory breach in China.
Congressman Brad Wenstrup leaves the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on July 26, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Wenstrup said the commission’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and ecohealth “is far from over.”
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“Dr. Daszak and his team still need to submit all outstanding documents and answer the special subcommittee’s questions, particularly related to Dr. Daszak’s potential misconduct under oath,” he said. . “We are committed to holding EcoHealth accountable for all waste, fraud, and abuse, and to exposing all wrongdoing, including lies to Congress, the NIH, and the Inspector General.”
