Members Will Discuss Recent Report on Biological Outbreak Investigations

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and upcoming Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today announced the first hearing of the 118th Congress in the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. It will focus on a report by the Government Accountability Office examining the challenges of investigating the origins of infectious disease pandemics and biological outbreaks as well as recommendations for improvement in the future. 

“With more than a million American lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, uncovering the origins of future pandemics is the public health question of our lifetime. For the past two years, Energy and Committee Republicans have been pursuing an in-depth investigation into the early days of SARS-CoV-2 with an emphasis on the virus’ origins. As the committee begins to consider legislation to prevent future pandemics and biological outbreaks, it’s crucial that we understand what technologies and capacities we need to quickly determine an outbreak’s origins.” 

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing Entitled: “Challenges and Opportunities to Investigating the Origins of Pandemics and Other Biological Events.” 

WHAT: A hearing to discuss how to develop more capabilities for investigating the origins of pandemics and other biological events. 

DATE: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 

TIME: 2:00 PM ET 

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building 

WITNESSES: Witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only.    

This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press, and will be livestreamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/. If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Lauren Eriksen with the Committee staff at Lauren.Eriksen@mail.house.gov.