US intelligence report on COVID-19 origins
U.S. officials released an intelligence report Friday that rejected some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, instead reiterating that American spy agencies remain divided over how the pandemic began.
Energy & Commerce Committee Leaders Press Biden Admin for Transparency on Lab Safety Measures
Effort Follows Disappointing COVID-19 Origins Declassification
Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today continued their investigation into the Biden administration’s biosafety practices. The Chairs have called for increased scrutiny of federal laboratory biosafety protocols following the Biden administration’s lack of transparency in declassifying information related to the origins of COVID-19.
KEY EXCERPT FROM THE LETTERS:
“Biosafety of laboratory research has purportedly been prioritized by the administration. In a September 12, 2022, executive order, President Biden set forth the goal to ‘elevate biological risk management’ as part of a broader effort to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing. The order specifically noted that the administration’s efforts should include; providing for research and investment in applied biosafety and biosecurity innovation.’
“The Committee is interested in how biosafety practices are implemented and prioritized at key federal laboratories.”
