E&C Republicans Examining COVID-19 Related Research at CDC, FDA and NIH
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) sent letters to three different Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies requesting information about their research activities related to COVID-19 and other coronaviruses, including the sources of funding for such research.
The letters were sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Acting Director Lawrence Tabak. The Leaders ask that the agencies respond to the following questions by February 16, 2022:
- Please provide a description of the nature of any research and the identity of the entity conducting the research. If the research is extramural, please provide the name of the entity and the kind of award (grant, contract, etc.).
- What are the goals and objectives of the research? How will these goals and objectives be measured or evaluated?
- Does the research involve virus manipulation, passaging of a virus, genetically modified animals, or making any mutations to a virus?
- For laboratory research, what biosafety level laboratory is being used, or proposed for use, in the research?
- What measures are being proposed or taken to ensure the safe conduct of the research? If there is an incident, how will the reporting and resolution of the incident be handled?
- Please provide the date the research was proposed.
- Please provide the date the research was approved and started, if applicable.
- Please provide the date of first progress report, if applicable.
- Please identify the source of funding and the authority for funding of this research.
- How is the funding of this research being tracked?
CLICK HERE to read the full letter to CDC Director Walensky.
CLICK HERE to read the full letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Woodcock.
CLICK HERE to read the full letter to NIH Acting Director Tabak.