Washington, D.C. - Today, Republican Leader of the Health Subcommittee Brett Guthrie participated in a press conference with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Republican Leadership about the urgency of the COVID-19 origins investigation and why America must lead to get answers and hold China accountable.
Republican Leader of the Health Subcommittee Brett Guthrie (R-KY):
“Since March, I’ve been conducting a review of the origins of the COVID-19 virus. This is what we know: we know that the Wuhan lab was doing gain of function research. We know that taxpayer dollars were given to the Wuhan lab. We know gain of function research is risky, and it even has restrictions here in the United States. But we need to have the investigations that my colleagues have talked about because what we need to know, we need to know did COVID-19 originate in the Wuhan lab as evidence has seemed to be pointing towards.
“We also need to work together because we need to know did U.S. taxpayer dollars directly or indirectly fund gain of function research in the dollars that went to Wuhan? We also need to know the scope of all NIH grants and taxpayer dollar research that is sent to China or other governments that do not have our best interest at heart. Moving forward we need to ensure U.S. grants are not going to gain of function research, or any other risky research to China or people associated with the Communist Party. We need to ensure U.S. grants are not going to irresponsible foreign governments like China, Russia, or some me of the other ones mentioned, and we also need, moving forward, need to work together and call my Democratic colleagues to bring together to do an investigation because the American people deserve the transparency and they deserve answers."
Republican Whip Steve Scalise:
“Let’s get all of that information. Let’s get the facts on the table. Let’s have real transparency so that we can ultimately get to accountability because we’ve seen the devastation in America with hundreds of thousands of lives lost."
Rep. Dan Crenshaw:
“We need a full investigation into the origins of the pandemic so we can get to the truth."
