The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ended funding for EcoHealth Alliance and its former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, for its involvement in gain-of-function research.
“EcoHealth and Dr. Daszak facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China without proper oversight and willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant,” a press release on the matter states.
“After considering the information in the administrative record in this matter, including the information presented in the above-mentioned responses, I have determined that a period of debarment for Dr. Daszak is necessary to protect the Federal Government’s business interests,” a letter from HHS says. It adds that Daszak’s debarment “is for a period of five years.”
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Oversight Committee Chairman, said in a statement, “Justice for the American people was served tonight. Bad actor EcoHealth Alliance & its corrupt former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, were formally debarred by HHS for using taxpayer funds to facilitate dangerous gain-of-function research in China. This decision is not only a victory for taxpayers, but also for national security and the safety of citizens worldwide.”
“In May 2024, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup released evidence that EcoHealth repeatedly violated the terms of its NIH grant. EcoHealth routinely ignored government oversight requests, failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and produced a required research report two years late,” he continued. “HHS cited all of these discoveries as key reasons for formally debarring EcoHealth and Dr. Daszak. Given that a lab-related incident involving gain-of-function research is the most likely origin of COVID-19, EcoHealth and its former President should never again receive a single cent from the U.S. taxpayer.”
