NE Washington News

Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith expressed his concerns and calls for tighter regulations in Covid research funding during a hearing with EcoHealth Alliance CEO Peter Daszak. Griffith emphasized the need for increased oversight and transparency in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Griffith highlighted the importance of understanding the origins of the pandemic and the roles played by organizations such as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and EcoHealth Alliance. He stated, "It is critical that we understand what went wrong at NIAID and EcoHealth’s relationship with Wuhan."

The Oversight Subcommittee Chair raised alarming issues regarding the lax approval and oversight of risky experiments involving potential pandemic pathogens by NIAID. Griffith proposed the idea of transferring final approval authority for such experiments to an independent entity for better oversight.

In his remarks, Griffith criticized the lack of information and oversight in EcoHealth's collaboration with Wuhan, stating, "NIAID and EcoHealth were completely asleep at switch. In my opinion, they were grossly negligent." He also expressed concern over the reinstatement of EcoHealth's grant without proper scrutiny of virus samples and sequences held by Wuhan.

Griffith concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for independent review of proposed gain-of-function research and the necessity for stricter regulations to prevent future high-consequence accidents. He stated, "We have to put some adults in place to independently review proposed gain of function research of concern that NIAID and other agencies want to fund."

The hearing highlighted the ongoing efforts to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and the importance of implementing robust oversight and regulations in research funding to prevent similar incidents in the future.