Staff Reports
Peter Daszak, who leads the EcoHealth Alliance, is set to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The hearing will examine the organization’s use of taxpayer funds for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Lawmakers will also review discrepancies between Daszak’s previous statements and available evidence.
Shortly before the hearing, the White Coat Waste Project revealed that the U.S. Agency for International Development provided $4.1 million in taxpayer funds to the EcoHealth Alliance the previous month. The group has been involved in research with dangerous pathogens in multiple countries, including Nipah, coronaviruses, and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.
EcoHealth Alliance Gets Millions More in Taxpayer Money https://t.co/KfxlNqtLsB
— The Linger Family (@linger_the) May 1, 2024
Due to concerns about EcoHealth Alliance’s activities, Congress has introduced legislation to defund the organization and passed spending bills to cut its taxpayer funding. The White Coat Waste Project has been actively advocating for the defunding of the group, citing their collaboration with the Wuhan animal lab and their alleged misuse of taxpayer money.
Sen. Joni Ernst expressed doubts about the benefits taxpayers receive from funding EcoHealth Alliance. She raised concerns about the organization’s involvement in risky research, specifically the experiments on bat coronaviruses that may have contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the controversy, EcoHealth Alliance defended the grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The group stated that the grant supports a program in Liberia aimed at protecting threatened and endangered species and promoting economic growth through sustainable agriculture and ecotourism.
Overall, the upcoming hearing will delve into the use of taxpayer money for research activities and potential risks associated with EcoHealth Alliance’s work. The debate over funding for the organization reflects ongoing concerns about the allocation of public funds and the potential consequences of research with dangerous pathogens.
