Welcome to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Checking-In on CMMI: Assessing the Transition to Value-Based Care.” CMMI'S FAILURE TO LOWER COSTS    “The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation was created to help improve how Medicare and Medicaid pay for health care and be an engine in our drive towards value-based care.   “CMMI was given a 10-year, $10 billion budget and extremely wide-ranging authorities with limited built-in congressional oversight.   “The only directives Congress gave CMMI were to achieve two goals: lower the cost of delivering care and improve patient outcomes.   “Over the last decade and a half, CMMI has tested over 50 models. Only two accomplished both of those goals.   “When CMMI was created, the savings it was projected to generate were to be used to offset spending by the Affordable Care Act.   “Originally, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that CMMI would save $1.3 billion over its first decade of operation.  “That same model also projected CMMI to save as much as $77.5 billion in its second decade, from 2020 to 2030.   “However, when CBO looked at the actual results in a September 2023 report, the disparity between those expectations and the reality proved to be staggering.   “Instead of reducing spending by $1.3 billion in the first decade, CMMI increased spending by $5.4 billion.   “For this second decade, instead of saving 77.5 billion dollars, CBO is now projecting CMMI to increase spending by $1.3 billion.   “I have a hard time believing any objective observer could look at the results thus far and describe CMMI as a success.   “So how do we move forward? “Today, we’re joined by Dr. Elizabeth Fowler, the current Director of CMMI, to discuss the Center’s work and understand why it has failed to live up to its intended purpose thus far. “I will note that Dr. Fowler has not been with CMMI throughout its entire existence. “In fact, CMMI has had multiple directors across multiple administrations. “But you are at the helm now and responsible for correcting this program’s trajectory, and while there are some reasons for optimism, a lot of what I have seen is concerning.” CMMI STRAYING FROM ITS CORE MISSION  “I’ve been disappointed to see CMMI devalue drugs approved through the FDA’s Accelerated Approval Pathway—which FDA leadership confirmed meet the agency’s gold-standard just a few weeks ago in this committee.   “This pathway was designed to build on precision medicine, encourage innovation, and allow patients to access needed cures sooner, but CMMI’s decision to cut reimbursements unilaterally for drugs approved via Accelerated Approval undercuts this mission.  “In addition, when Congress passed MACRA, thanks in large part to the work of this Committee, CMMI was given a cental role in driving Medicare’s transition to value-based care.   “While CMMI has developed and tested some new models, largely for primary care physicians, too many clinicians have been left without a pathway to participate in APMs.   “I’m concerned that instead of focusing on fulfilling the role Congress gave CMMI in MACRA and working on developing new APMs, CMMI’s focus has shifted to collecting information on patients' food insecurity and housing needs and requiring providers to waste time writing ridiculous 'health equity plans.’”  SOME POSITIVE OUTCOMES   “While I have concerns on the overall direction and lack of results with CMMI, there have been a few positive outcomes that deserve to be recognized.  “Looking at CMMI’s most recent work, I am glad you are continuing to build on the Accountable Care Organization model.   “While joining an ACO should not be the only pathway for providers to be able to participate in value-based care, these models are among the few that have actually managed to reduce overall spending and should not be abandoned.   “I was encouraged to see CMMI work on trying to improve care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.   “Sadly, most people know someone that has suffered from this terrible disease, and I hope that this model is successful in improving community-based care for those patients.   “Lowering the costs of health care in this country has been a primary mission of this Committee this Congress. We are on an unsustainable path and must continue to find ways to reverse the current trend. “This makes it all the more important that CMMI carries out its intended mission and avoids pursuing an alternative agenda. “Dr. Fowler, I am grateful you are here to share your expertise and eager to hear what lessons CMMI has learned and how we can get it back on track to lower costs and improve care.” 

Washington D.C. —  House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s subcommittee  hearing  titled “Checking-In on CMMI: Assessing the Transition to Value-Based Care.”  “Thank you to our witness, Dr. Liz Fowler, for being here with us today as we ‘check-in’ on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s progress in lowering costs and improving quality of care paid for by Medicare and Medicaid. “Our health care system has underdone significant changes over the last decade and Americans continue to cite health care costs as a top concern. “More Americans are stuck paying more for health care, more than they ever have in the past.” HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES RAPIDLY INCREASING ON THE BACKS OF TAXPAYERS AND PATIENTS “Taxpayers are also on the hook for higher health care expenditures. “In 2022, health care spending grew by 4% year-over-year, reaching $4.5 trillion, nearly 17% of U.S. gross domestic product. “During this same time, spending on hospital care reached 30% of total health care spending while physician and clinical services reached 20% of all health care spending.   “Physicians are now being forced to spend more man hours on back-office administrative tasks in efforts by taxpayers to keep costs low.” CMMI FAILED TO ACHIEVE PROJECTED COST SAVINGS “Policy makers and stakeholders from across the health care system have hoped that by embracing value-based care, high costs and physician burnout would be addressed, and patients would receive a higher quality of care.   “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation was supposed to be a key driver of this movement toward value-based care.   “However, Medicare and Medicaid’s transition to value care has clearly stagnated.   “CMMI was established as a part of the Affordable Care Act with the dual goal of driving better patient outcomes and slowing the growth rate of the Medicare and Medicaid program costs.   “The Congressional Budget Office originally projected that CMMI would not just offset the costs of running pilot programs but drive significant long-term savings across our health care system.   “That unfortunately has not come close to materializing. A September 2023 CBO report found that CMMI’s activities increased spending by almost $5.5 billion.    “Under the Biden administration the Center has undertaken an internal reevaluation.   “While I would hope this strategic refresh would generate a renewed commitment to better fulfilling CMMI’s mission of reducing costs and improving quality in its second decade.   “However, I must admit I am concerned the Center has instead further shifted focus from its Congressionally anointed purpose.   “I would be remised if I didn’t mention a few specific actions CMMI has taken recently that could significantly harm the transition to value-based care.   “The first, is the so-called Accelerating Clinical Evidence model in which CMMI has proposed to slash payments to Part B providers who are prescribing therapies fully approved by the FDA through the Accelerated Approval Pathway.   “This not only undermines the FDA gold standard but penalizes those attempting to drive transformative change for patients that otherwise lack treatment options.”  CMMI IS IMPEDING INNOVATION “I am furthermore concerned about CMMI’s Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, which may inhibit the states’ ability to use value-based agreements to pay for curative cell-and-gene therapies approved by FDA. “We have 50 incubators across the country in the form of our state Medicaid programs and waiver authorities that give states the ability to shape policies that make the most sense for their budgetary needs and the needs of their beneficiaries. “By CMS directly negotiating drug rates for these therapies, it weakens the ability for states to negotiate directly with manufacturers or to form states compacts that give states greater bargaining power in these situations. “I would instead urge CMMI and CMS to work with Congress to pass my MVP Act, which I’ve worked with Ranking Member Eshoo on, which would codify CMS’ multiple best price rule and truly allow states to use value-based agreements to get life-changing treatments to patients as quickly and as affordably as possible, should be the goal of all of us. “In closing, I hope today’s discussion helps us chart a path forward for CMMI that can ensure the center is better delivering on its mission to facilitate innovation payment models that deliver for patients and taxpayers and reenergize the transition to value-based care.” 

Washington D.C. —  Consumer advocates and stakeholders agree that H.R. 3950, the  Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act , will restore fairness and transparency to the ticketing marketplace. The bill, which  passed the House last month by a vote 388-24 , will significantly enhance the customer experience of buying event tickets online. This united message from stakeholders should send a clear message to the Senate that they must act quickly to pass this important legislation so it can be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk and signed into law. Ticket Buyer Bill of Rights “Congratulations to Representatives Bilirakis and Schakowsky for achieving this important milestone. Today marks the furthest federal live event ticketing reform has gone in nearly a decade. We applaud them for their leadership and their willingness to engage all stakeholders, especially consumer protection organizations, in seeking a truly comprehensive reform package which has consensus by virtually every stakeholder in the debate. We urge the Senate to send the  TICKET Act  to President Biden’s desk as expeditiously as possible.” National Consumers League “Fairness in live event ticketing took a huge step forward today,”  said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League.  “For decades, the simple act of buying a ticket to see your favorite artist or team has been an exercise in frustration. Thanks to leaders like Chairman Bilirakis and Ranking Member Schakowsky, the days that ticketing companies can get away with ridiculous ticket add-on fees and deceptive resale websites are numbered.” National Independent Venue Association “We commend House passage of H.R. 3950, the  TICKET Act , which will help to improve the ticket buying experience for fans, to protect the livelihoods of artists, and to preserve independent venues across the nation,"  said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association.  "Not only has the U.S. House of Representatives moved to protect consumers from predatory and deceptive ticketing practices, but states across the country, including Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have recently banned, without exception, speculative tickets on a bipartisan basis. We call on Congress to do the same, to build on the  TICKET Act  and adopt strong, enforceable, comprehensive ticketing reform legislation like the Fans First Act.” Artist Rights Alliance “ARA applauds the House's passage of the  TICKET Act , a positive move towards increased transparency and fairness in ticketing. We will continue to advocate for a fair and equitable ticketing system that fully supports artists and fans.” Sports Fans Coalition “Today is a momentous day for live event ticketing reform,”  said Brian Hess, Executive Director of Sports Fans Coalition.  “If enacted, this bill will guarantee sports fans all-in pricing, prohibitions on several deceptive sales tactics, and refund requirements for canceled events. We hope the Senate will pass this vital legislation and that President Biden will sign it shortly thereafter.” Recording Academy "Today's passage of the  TICKET Act  by the House of Representatives marks a significant step forward toward improving the concert ticket marketplace,"  said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.  "The  TICKET Act  was a key focus of GRAMMYs on the Hill [...] and the Recording Academy thanks our Congressional leaders for bringing the bill to a vote shortly after meeting with Academy members.” – Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Live Nation (Ticketmaster) “Live Nation applauds House lawmakers for advancing the  TICKET Act . [...] We look forward to working with policymakers to make these changes law.” Coalition for Ticket Fairness "The Coalition for Ticket Fairness (CTF) applauds The House on the passage of The  TICKET Act . Introduced by Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky, The  TICKET Act  represents common sense reforms that will bring much needed transparency into the ticket buying process and give consumers more information as they make purchasing decisions. By empowering consumers, this bill will help lead to a better ticket buying experience and a healthier marketplace. “CTF is proud to have been supportive of the  TICKET Act  from the beginning. We believe in leveling the playing field in the ticket marketplace and ensuring that fans have options. We encourage the Senate to move forward in passing their version of the bill as soon as possible." Fix the Tix Coalition “The Fix the Tix Coalition, representing every major constituency of the music and live events industry, applauds the passage of H.R. 3950, the  TICKET Act , as an important step towards restoring trust in the ticketing ecosystem. The bill provides transparency with all-in pricing, and takes important steps to combat speculative tickets and deceptive websites. [...] The live entertainment ecosystem is counting on Congress to act in the best interests of fans to restore transparency and trust to our country’s broken ticketing system.” Vivid Seats “Vivid Seats applauds Chairman Bilirakis, Congresswoman Schakowsky and the Committee Members for their hard work and dedication to legislation that will help fans across the country. We believe the  TICKET Act  will not only improve the process of purchasing tickets to live events, but its comprehensive approach will increase transparency that has been needed for decades.” NetChoice “Thank you to Rep. Bilirakis and Rep. Schakowsky for leading the House effort to get the  TICKET Act  passed! This pro-consumer legislation will bring much needed transparency to the tickets marketplace.” StubHub “StubHub applauds the House’s overwhelming support of the  TICKET Act  which protects consumers and preserves an innovative and competitive marketplace. It establishes a uniform national standard for all-in pricing for the entire live events industry, creating consistency and strong protections for fans across the US.”  Consumer Action “This bill lets fans know that when they buy a ticket to their favorite events, they’ll be assured that the ticket is real, the price is clear and a refund is available if the event is cancelled. That’s some real progress for consumers,”  said Ruth Susswein, Consumer Action’s Director of Consumer Protection.

Washington, D.C. —  In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) request information regarding HHS’s suspension and debarment process.  The letter also provides direct evidence refuting Secretary Becerra’s testimony to the Health Subcommittee asserting that HHS “will take immediate action” to stop sexual abusers from receiving taxpayer funding. It comes amid the Committee’s ongoing investigation into sexual harassment at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at NIH grantee institutions.  KEY LETTER EXCERPT :  “At the April 17, 2024, hearing before the Subcommittee on Health, in response to a question about the redactions of names of confirmed abusers or harassers, you said: ‘If there is an abuser that is receiving taxpayer dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services, . . . in this particular case the National Institutes of Health [NIH], we will take action immediately.’    “ However, your claim is belied by the facts. Based on subpoenaed NIH documents reviewed in camera, Committee staff discovered that an individual who served as principal investigator on at least 24 NIH-grants was not suspended or debarred from receiving federal funding despite his conviction in 2021 of sexual abuse and his medical license being stripped . Based on documentation reviewed during the Committee’s in camera review of sexual misconduct allegations on NIH-funded research, staff found that in September 2020, the NIH recommended to HHS an immediate federal-wide suspension and debarment of this abuser for 10 years based on the abuser’s indictment in 2019 on three counts of sexual abuse, and the grantee institution’s determination that the individual was responsible for sexual harassment in January of 2020. Despite this recommendation from the NIH, followed by the individual’s conviction in December 2021, HHS has taken no action. Three and a half years later, this abuser remains eligible for federal funding. On April 15, 2024, Committee staff sent an email to HHS staff requesting information about the status and handling of this matter. HHS has not yet responded.”  [...]  “ We are troubled by the limited use of suspensions and debarments from awarding agencies within HHS along with the timeliness issues and lack of use of suspensions pre-debarment raised by the HHS OIG. Harassers and abusers with public reporting of their actions, and even some with criminal convictions, are not present on SAM.gov as suspended or debarred .”  BACKGROUND : HHS is the largest grantmaking agency in the federal government—awarding over $778 billion in grants in fiscal year 2023.  Federal suspension and debarment programs help to protect the integrity of federal grant programs by ensuring the federal government does business only with responsible persons.  Individuals or parties receiving grants can be suspended or debarred from continuing to receive federal grants if they lack honesty, integrity, or business performance.  Within HHS, a suspension or debarment action may be initiated from an awarding agency—such as the NIH—or another entity—such as the Office of Inspector General (OIG).     Referrals for suspension or debarment are sent to the HHS Office of Recipient Integrity Coordination (ORIC) for review and final decision by the Suspension and Debarment Official (SDO).  Referrals can be conviction-based—originating from a criminal conviction or civil judgement—or fact-based—in which the referring office builds a case based on facts (e.g., audit findings or failures to disclose).  Suspensions and debarments are not retrospective, meaning respondents can maintain their current award(s), but it does prevent them from receiving new federal awards.   Not only are these suspensions and debarments valid within the referring agency, but they also generally make a respondent ineligible for awards from other federal departments.   Suspended or debarred parties or individuals are listed on SAM.gov and awarding departments can check this list before awarding grants to prevent awarding grants to these parties or individuals.   While federal departments have discretion as to when to refer a respondent for suspension or debarment, HHS—and particularly awarding agencies such as the NIH—can prevent known harassers or abusers from receiving additional federal awards across the federal government through these processes.   However, a 2022 HHS OIG report found several concerns during its audit of HHS’s suspension and debarment processes.  HHS OIG found that 84 percent of referrals came from non-awarding agencies—such as the OIG or Office of Research Integrity—rather than those offices charged with supervising ongoing grants.  This statistic raised concerns for the OIG about the extent to which awarding agencies were doing enough to identify and take action against bad actors and if agencies are missing opportunities for additional suspension and debarment referrals.  Another concern is the timeliness of the HHS suspension and debarment process and the limited use of suspensions during pending debarment proceedings.   The HHS OIG found that nearly half of suspensions implemented by ORIC did not meet its 60-day goal, with several suspensions taking longer than 300 days to implement.  Of the 134 debarments that ORIC implemented, nearly all involved grants, yet less than one-third of these debarments included a preceding suspension.  That means more than two-thirds of respondents may have maintained access to additional federal funding during the debarment process, with the longest case taking 1251 days or nearly three and a half years.  Moreover, for conviction-based debarments—in which the evidentiary threshold has generally already been met by the conviction or judgment—75 percent of conviction-based debarments implemented by ORIC did not meet its 100-day goal.  Rather, implementation took an average of 325 days and nearly a quarter of these debarments took over 500 days to be implemented.  The HHS OIG found numerous areas in which the timeliness, efficiency and effectiveness of HHS’s suspension and debarment program were negatively affected by internal factors.   Specifically, there is a very high turnover rate at both the staff and senior leadership levels of the suspension and debarment program, with ORIC’s full staffing levels being four personnel.  Moreover, seven different people served as HHS’s SDO—the official determining if suspension or debarment is to be implemented—in just four years.  With this kind of turnover, cases may fall through the cracks or be heavily delayed.   Moreover, HHS OIG found that a lack of policies and procedures regarding entering and tracking important case information and milestones plus a lack of guidance on what information is needed in fact-based referrals has limited the ability to suspend or debar individuals.  Specifically, ORIC was not able to suspend or debar several individuals due to a lack of documentation in the referral that showed a referring entity followed its own corrective-action escalation process prior to the suspension or debarment.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.  TIMELINE OF INVESTIGATION:   August 10, 2021 : E&C Republican Leaders Question NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints    August 11, 2022 : E&C Republican Leaders follow up with NIH on Insufficient Response to its Letter on the NIH’s handling of Sexual Harassment    November 30, 2022 : E&C Republicans to NIH: Turn Over Previously Requested Information Ahead of New Congress    March 14, 2023 : E&C Republicans Press NIH for Information on Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints    October 6, 2023 : E&C Republicans Signal Intent to Issue Subpoena to Obtain Information on NIH’s Handling of Sexual Harassment if Questions Go Unanswered    January 26, 2024 : Chair Rogers notifies NIH of Imminent Subpoena    February 5, 2024 : Chair Rodgers Subpoenas NIH for Documents Related to Investigation into Sexual Harassment at NIH and NIH Grantee Institutions   February 20, 2024 : HHS Responds on behalf of NIH to offer a rolling in camera document review to the Committee. Documents produced in the review have been highly redacted, including the redaction of the names of individuals convicted of criminal offenses, public news articles about individuals who have been found guilty of harassment, and redaction of the names of the institutions where the abuse occurred—effectively preventing the Committee from understanding if NIH continues to fund work performed by substantiated abusers at other institutions—a practice known as “pass the harasser.”   April 16, 2024 : E&C Republicans Expand Investigation into Sexual Harassment at NIH to now Include Review of HHS Office of Civil Rights Compliance Role  May 9, 2024 : E&C Republicans ask Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to provide the Committee with the legal basis requiring HHS to redact or hide the names of researchers determined to have committed sexual misconduct. 

Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm following reports that the Biden administration is preparing to further drain the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The letter calls on the Secretary to safeguard the SPR and stop using it to provide political cover for President Biden in an election year. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “ Under President Biden, the SPR has reached its lowest level since 1983. The DOE has overseen the largest sale in history, amounting to a total of 290 million barrels. When President Biden took office in January 2021, the SPR contained 638 million barrels of oil. Today, the SPR currently contains 367 million barrels of oil, which represents nearly a 42 percent decline from when President Biden took office.”  […] “Under the Biden administration, the SPR has been abused for political purposes to try and bring down record high gasoline prices that are driving record high inflation that are a consequence of the administration’s radical rush to 'green' energy policies. In November of 2021, the Biden administration announced a release, in coordination with China, in an attempt to lower prices. Then in March of 2022, the president announced the release of 180 million barrels of oil from the SPR in the middle of an election year, a transparent attempt to influence the midterm elections and distract from the Biden administration’s energy policy failures.”  [...] “We urge you, in the strongest terms, to put this country’s energy security first and stop abusing the SPR for political purposes. As the Secretary of Energy, it is your responsibility to ensure that the SPR is ready to respond to true energy supply disruptions.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter. CLICK HERE to read Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Barrasso’s letter in November 2022 detailing the damage from President Biden’s SPR drawdowns. CLICK HERE to read Chair Rodgers’s statement on the House’s passage of H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act , which would help ensure the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is available during a true energy emergency and not abused for non-emergency, political purposes. 

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) have asked for a briefing regarding a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report that a high security lab in Canada was infiltrated by Chinese scientists connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). BACKGROUND : Recently disclosed information from Canada provides additional insight into the Wuhan Institute of Virology's (WIV) interests and activities in the months leading up to the pandemic. In Canada, it was revealed that Canada's highest security lab (where Ebola and coronaviruses are studied) was infiltrated by Chinese scientists receiving secret payments from China’s military. This information was revealed in a report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in February 2024, following a two-year investigation. Two scientists at Canada’s high-security infectious disease laboratory—Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng—provided confidential scientific information to China and were fired in 2021 after a probe concluded Dr. Qiu posed “a realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security” and it was discovered they engaged in clandestine meetings with Chinese officials. CSIS discovered Dr. Qiu had applied for, and likely received, a position under China’s Thousand Talents Program and that her position came through the WIV. According to CSIS, Dr. Qiu, who worked at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, lied when confronted about her actions, making “blanket denials” and “half-truths, and personally benefited from the arrangement,” noting that she repeatedly lied to the CSIS and “refused to admit to any involvement in various PRC [People’s Republic of China] programs.” In a January 2021 letter recommending that Dr. Qiu’s security clearance be revoked, CSIS stated: “The Service assess that Ms. Qiu developed deep, cooperative relationships with a variety of People’s Republic of China institutions and has intentionally transferred scientific knowledge and materials to China in order to benefit the PRC government.” The two infectious-disease scientists were escorted out of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg in July 2019, and later had their security clearances revoked. They were fired in January 2021. Their whereabouts are not known. Of particular concern is that Dr. Qiu covertly and without authorization provided the Ebola genetic sequence, intellectual property related to research of Ebola, and possibly other pathogens to China. Others informed CSIS that Dr. Qiu and her husband used Gmail accounts extensively, rather than her government of Canada emails. This would appear to be a good source of communications between these spy-scientists in Canada and Wuhan and/or the Chinese military. CSIS found an application from her to one of China’s talent programs that said she would work for the WIV for at least two months every year. As part of her enrollment, CSIS said, Dr. Qiu committed to “building the People’s Republic of China’s biosecurity platform for new and potent infectious disease research.” The CSIS investigation found Dr. Qiu led a project at the WIV that would assess cross-species infection and pathogenic risks of filoviruses, work that CSIS said suggests “gain-of-function studies were possibly to take place.” CSIS also noted Dr. Qiu, who headed the vaccine development and antiviral therapies section at the Winnipeg lab, collaborated on scientific papers with Chinese military researchers, including Major-General Chen Wei, a high-ranking officer in the People’s Liberation Army. In a report, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) found Dr. Qiu lied about an October 2018 trip to China that she had said was a personal vacation, but later acknowledged after being presented with contradictory evidence that the trip was paid for by the WIV and she met the WIV’s director during the visit. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.