Republicans are Seeking Information on $2.26 Million of Funding to EcoHealth Alliance and University of California at Davis

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) are continuing their investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic with a request for documents and information from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Their letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power asks the agency about their COVID-19 origins investigation and ten year partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Why this matters: USAID needs to share all data and records related to research at the WIV – unpublished and published – to contribute its part toinvestigative efforts, while we seek to gather all relevant records that are obtainable outside China.

Key excerpt of the letter:

“U.S. federal grant-making rules and laws require grant recipients to preserve research records and give record access to grant-making agencies. Published reports about PREDICT research experiments describe the information in records that USAID keeps or can access in accordance with applicable laws and policies. Through its PREDICT grant recipients, such as EHA and UC Davis, USAID likely possesses detailed documentation and extensive knowledge about bat coronavirus research and experiments performed at the WIV and at other laboratories in China. Considering its long-term WIV partnership and the extent of the research conducted there by USAID grantees, we expect USAID has records pertinent to our COVID-19 origins investigation.”

The leaders are requesting that the USAID meet with committee staff members by Monday, July 12.

CLICK HEREto read the letter to USAID Administrator Power.

CLICK HERE to read about the investigation into the origins of COVID-19.