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HHS Suspends Funding of EcoHealth Alliance

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WASHINGTON — Today, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accepted the Select Subcommittee’s recommendation to formally debar EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. (EcoHealth). HHS will immediately commence official debarment proceedings and implement a government-wide suspension of U.S. taxpayer funds to EcoHealth — including a hold on all active grants.

“EcoHealth Alliance and Dr. Peter Daszak should never again receive a single penny from the U.S. taxpayer. Only two weeks after the Select Subcommittee released an extensive report detailing EcoHealth’s wrongdoing and recommending the formal debarment of EcoHealth and its president, HHS has begun efforts to cut off all U.S. funding to this corrupt organization. EcoHealth facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China without proper oversight, willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health grant, and apparently made false statements to the NIH. These actions are wholly abhorrent, indefensible, and must be addressed with swift action. EcoHealth’s immediate funding suspension and future debarment is not only a victory for the U.S. taxpayer, but also for American national security and the safety of citizens worldwide.

“The Select Subcommittee’s investigation into EcoHealth and the origins of COVID-19 is far from over. Dr. Daszak and his team are still required to produce all outstanding documents and answer the Select Subcommittee’s questions, specifically related to Dr. Daszak’s potential dishonesty under oath. We will hold EcoHealth accountable for any waste, fraud, and abuse and are committed to uncovering any illegal activity, including lying to Congress, NIH, or the Inspector General,” said Chairman Wenstrup

— Press release

During this investigation, the Select Subcommittee has reviewed more than one million
pages of documents and interviewed more than a dozen fact witnesses. This work established the
evidence to support five interim findings.

Finding 1: EcoHealth submitted its Year 5 Report nearly two years late. Further, EcoHealth’s
claim that it was locked out of an NIH system and blocked from submitting the
report on time is not supported by the evidence.

Finding 2: EcoHealth violated its grant terms and conditions by failing to report a potentially
dangerous experiment conducted by the WIV.

Finding 3: EcoHealth used taxpayer dollars to facilitate gain-of-function research on
coronaviruses in Wuhan at the WIV, contrary to previous public statements,
including those by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Finding 4: NIH may not have known about EcoHealth’s actions without proper intervention
by former-President Donald Trump and former-White House Chief of Staff Mark
Meadows. Further, despite suggestions of political persecution against EcoHealth,
career NIH leadership supported every compliance action taken.

Finding 5: While negotiating the reinstatement of the grant, Dr. Daszak omitted the material
fact that unanalyzed samples and sequences—that the U.S. paid for—are in the
custody and control of the WIV. This omission was taken as fact by NIAID and
NIAID took no steps to verify the actual location of the sequences and samples. If
Dr. Daszak had not made this omission it would have provoked questions from
NIAID regarding EcoHealth’s ability to fulfill the aims of the reinstated grant.
Finally, as a result of Dr. Daszak affirmations, NIH is currently violating the terms
of the debarment of the WIV.

— House oversight report

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