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US halts funding to Wuhan lab due to dangerous experiments.

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The Biden ⁤Administration Suspends Funding to ⁢Wuhan ‌Lab

The Biden administration‌ has⁢ taken a⁣ significant step by suspending funding to the ⁣laboratory ⁢in Wuhan, China, where ​COVID-19 cases were first ‍identified. This​ decision comes‌ after​ a new⁢ document revealed that the U.S. Department of ‌Health ‍and Human ‍Services ‌(HHS) is cutting off⁤ the⁤ Wuhan Institute ⁣of Virology’s access ‌to⁤ U.S. grants.

In ​2014, ⁢the ​National ‌Institute of Allergy and⁢ Infectious Disease (NIAID) awarded ⁣a ⁤grant to ‌EcoHealth ‌Alliance, a‌ U.S.-based nonprofit⁣ focused⁤ on⁢ researching ‌emerging infectious ⁣diseases. The grant funded a project called “Understanding ⁣the⁤ Risk of Bat ⁢Coronavirus Emergence,” which involved the Wuhan Institute of Virology ⁣(WIV). The WIV received⁤ over $1.4 million ⁣in U.S. government funds for testing under ⁢this project, ⁢including ⁢experiments ‌that made a bat coronavirus ⁣more harmful.

However, it ⁢was discovered that these experiments violated the terms ⁤of‍ the grant. The‌ HHS official stated that the WIV had been ⁣given​ opportunities to contest this conclusion but failed to do so. As a result, the immediate ‌suspension of ⁣WIV is necessary to mitigate any potential public health risk.

Temporary​ Suspension⁢ and Potential Debarment

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The suspension ⁤of funding is temporary,‍ and officials are also considering debarment, which​ would cut ​off WIV’s access ⁣to⁢ U.S. funding for a longer period. Debarment requires a higher evidentiary requirement​ of wrongdoing. Multiple‍ bills‍ have been proposed ​to permanently bar U.S. funding to the WIV, but they⁣ have not yet⁢ cleared ‍Congress.

Lawmakers ⁢have raised ⁣concerns about risky ⁣research conducted at⁣ the WIV‌ and ‍the possibility that⁤ the lab is‌ the origin ⁣of the virus that causes COVID-19.‍ The HHS decision is​ based ⁢on 26 documents,​ most of which​ were from ‍January 2022‍ or ⁣earlier.

“It’s ⁢past time that the⁢ Biden administration ​made this decision, but they ⁤deserve ‌no credit ⁣for finally ‌doing what ​the⁣ evidence and ‍facts‌ demanded. It is outrageous that it took them so long,” said Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Brett Guthrie,⁢ and Morgan Griffith ⁣in a joint ⁤statement.

After receiving ‌a notice of ⁤proposed ⁢debarment,⁤ the WIV ⁢will have an opportunity to protest the ⁢proposal. The⁤ final​ decision ‍will⁤ be made by⁢ the ‌HHS suspension‌ and debarment official after reviewing the response.

Requirements

In 2016, U.S. officials informed EcoHealth ​that provisions ‍were being⁤ added to its grant,‍ including…



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