Donald Trump has banned funding for “dangerous” virus research in China following concerns about the potential leak of Covid-19.
Trump signs executive order halting federal funding for risky virus research in hostile or unsafe countries.
This decision comes five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, which U.S. intelligence now believes may have started from a lab accident.
Trump cuts off funding for ‘dangerous’ virus research in China after Covid-19 leak concerns
Trump’s order halts current and future federal funding for gain-of-function research in countries like China and Iran.
Gain-of-function research involves modifying viruses to study their effects, which can increase their danger if they escape from a lab.
The executive order also gives the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies the power to identify harmful biological research.
They can withdraw funding from any research that could threaten public health or national security.
Trump aims to protect Americans from dangerous research
The order aims to protect Americans from the risks associated with gain-of-function research.
It states that federal funding will not support any research that could lead to another pandemic.
This move is designed to reduce the chances of lab-related incidents, like those potentially linked to bat coronaviruses studied in China.
The announcement emphasized that the order bans federal funding for foreign research that could threaten Americans.
It also seeks to prevent future biosecurity incidents, such as those believed to have caused COVID-19.
Ongoing debate about COVID-19 origins
U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI and CIA, increasingly agree that the virus likely resulted from a lab accident in Wuhan, China.
This perspective is supported by former health officials, including Dr. Robert Redfield, the former CDC Director.
However, some experts still support the zoonotic transfer theory, which suggests the virus jumped from animals to humans.
Notable figures, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s chief medical advisor, maintain this view.
Trump’s new directive places an immediate ban on all research involving infectious pathogens and toxins.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy and the national security advisor will need to establish stricter guidelines for research moving forward.
These anticipated regulations are expected to include stringent enforcement and reporting requirements.
Biden previously imposed restrictions on virus research.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden introduced similar restrictions on virus research.
However, his order included loopholes that allowed the Health and Human Services secretaries to bypass the ban after notifying Congress.
As a result, federal officials have struggled to trace how grant funds are used effectively.
Trump’s new order emphasizes the controversial U.S.-funded research conducted in Wuhan.
From 2014 to 2021, over $1.4 million in grants were given to the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth Alliance, which was overseen by Dr. Fauci.
EcoHealth Alliance conducts critical virus research projects.
One project funded by these grants was called “Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence.”
This research involved gain-of-function work, which some critics argue links it to COVID-19.
However, Dr. Lawrence Tabak, former NIH deputy director, and others have disputed any direct connection to the pandemic.
Another grant proposal from EcoHealth, known as Project DEFUSE, has drawn significant scrutiny.
Although it never received funding, critics consider it a potential “smoking gun” that suggests COVID-19 may have been engineered in a lab.
Concerns arise about potential cover-ups in research.
Documents from US Right to Know show Dr. Peter Daszak downplayed Wuhan researchers’ involvement in his 2023 testimony.
He admitted that China’s safety standards do not match those of the U.S.
Despite Project DEFUSE not receiving funding from DARPA, Dr. Redfield raised concerns about its potential continuation with support from other sources.
In his testimony, Daszak admitted not knowing the full genomic data from Wuhan lab, suggesting undiscovered coronaviruses.
A whistleblower claims Project DEFUSE was omitted from the 2021 U.S. intelligence report on COVID-19’s origins.
Alarmingly, it appears that information hinting at a lab accident was also excluded from briefings provided to President Biden.
Both Daszak and Dr. Fauci have consistently dismissed the lab-leak theory, with Fauci labeling supporters of this idea as “conspiracy theorists.”
A report from the Department of Defense revealed ongoing challenges in overseeing gain-of-function research in China and globally.