Washington, D.C. - House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Republican Leader Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement about the more than 900 pages of documents published by the Intercept that show the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) funded risky coronavirus research in China through EcoHealth Alliance.
“These NIH grant documents further indicate that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins have broken trust with the American people. For months, Dr. Fauci dismissed any consideration of the lab leak theory despite, or perhaps because of, his agency’s involvement in risky coronavirus research at the Wuhan lab. Dr. Collins has repeatedly denied what these documents now show. This is why we began asking these questions in March. Unfortunately, Dr. Collins and the Biden Administration have refused to comply with our oversight.
“If NIH, NIAID, and EcoHealth Alliance had been transparent about research being conducted at the Wuhan lab from the beginning, perhaps it would have aided in our response to the global pandemic. But, every step of the way they have chosen to obfuscate and mislead.
“The American people deserve answers. Understanding how this pandemic started is one of the most critical public health questions of our time. To better prepare and prevent the next one, we must learn how this one began. These documents raise more questions about what kind of risky research Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins have been funding and what other information they refuse to give us. We will continue our pursuit of the truth and will not stop until we get answers the American people deserve."
