Wichita Standard

Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) has commended the decision by Health and Human Services to suspend funding to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., a research group linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The group is alleged to have participated in gain-of-function research without proper oversight and in violation of requirements.

Estes stated, "In 2020, our world was turned upside down starting with a virus that's origins were covered up by the Chinese Communist Party and even a cabal of disingenuous U.S. officials. Americans deserved the truth, and I pressed for answers about COVID-19's origins and the United States' funding of gain-of-function research." He went on to criticize HHS Secretary Becerra's previous claims from 2022 that 'NIH never supported any gain-of-function research, including at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China,' as HHS has now initiated official debarment proceedings and suspended U.S. taxpayer funds to EcoHealth.

Rep. Estes had previously questioned HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on June 8, 2021, regarding NIH spending at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, either directly or through other companies. Following this questioning, Rep. Estes sent a letter on Oct. 25, 2021, stating that Secretary Becerra's testimony contradicted NIH Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak's testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

In addition to these concerns, Rep. Estes sent another letter to Secretary Becerra on Feb. 2, 2022, demanding answers about NIH's involvement in gain-of-function research and EcoHealth's failure to meet progress report deadlines.

In January 2023, Rep. Estes introduced the Restoring Normalcy in America Act which included a component aimed at discovering the true origin of COVID-19.

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup also commented on the situation, stating, "EcoHealth facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, without proper oversight, willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health grant, and apparently made false statements to the NIH. These actions are wholly abhorrent, indefensible, and must be addressed with swift action."