Washington, D.C. — Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a second letter to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, today asking NIH to produce grant reports and related documents to inform a complete, scientific investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter states:

“The Chinese Communist government has not yet allowed Chinese scientists to cooperate with an investigation into COVID-19 origins, and has admitted to destroying samples and records pertinent to such an investigation. Thus, it is imperative we assemble all data and information in U.S. possession about bat coronavirus research experiments and lab safety protocols from all sources outside of China, particularly from EcoHealth Alliance (EHA). EHA is an NIH grantee who has been involved in bat coronavirus research in China and has issued grant subawards to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). It is also essential to collect information about the WIV, the laboratory that was conducting bat coronavirus experiments located in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a federal cognizant grant-making agency that funded bat coronavirus research at the WIV through EHA awards, NIH is in a unique position to share publicly detailed research reports in its possession. Importantly, NIH has full access to EHA records and EHA has refused to cooperate with our inquiry. Therefore, it is critical for NIH to cooperate with our objective fact-finding investigation as we continue to collect data about U.S. funded bat coronavirus research.”

The Republicans on Energy and Commerce ask asking for reports and documents related to:

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• NIH’s Award of $2 million to EHA Despite Grant Suspension
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• NIH’s Inadequate Oversight of EHA’s Other Support
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• NIH’s Inadequate Oversight of EHA’s Delinquent Financial Reports
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• NIH’s Possible Funding of EHA for Duplicative Research in China
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• NIH’s Inadequate Reconciliation of EHA’s Grant Subawards
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• NIH’s Inadequate Oversight of EHA’s Place of Performance Reporting (China)
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• NIH’s Lack of Visibility into EHA’s Grant Subawards
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• NIH’s Inadequate Oversight of EHA’s Grant Fund Accounting and Eligibility
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• NIH’s Inadequate Oversight of Its Funded Researchers in China
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• NIH’s Lack of Cooperation with Congressional Oversight Inquiry
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CLICK HERE to read the letter to NIH Director Collins.

CLICK HERE to read about the COVID-19 origins investigation.