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118th US Congress Rules & Investigations The Serious You: How Current Events Affect You
Started 2/11/23 by WALTER784; 39877 views.
Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
I've started this thread to follow all of the rules & investigations started in our 118th Congress concerning numerous issues:
Follow articles in this thread to keep up with the progress of those investigations.
FWIW
- Edited February 11, 2023 2:58 am by WALTER784
Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. Res. 5
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
January 9, 2023.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. ADOPTION OF THE RULES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS.
The Rules of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, including applicable provisions of law or concurrent resolution that constituted rules of the House at the end of the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, are adopted as the Rules of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, with amendments to the standing rules as provided in section 2, and with other orders as provided in this resolution.
SEC. 2. CHANGES TO THE STANDING RULES.
(a) Initiatives To Reduce Spending And Improve Accountability.—
(1) CUT-AS-YOU-GO.—In rule XXI, amend clause 10 to read as follows:
“10. (a) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c), it shall not be in order to consider a bill or joint resolution, or an amendment thereto or a conference report thereon, if the provisions of such measure have the net effect of increasing mandatory spending for the period of either—
“(A) the current year, the budget year, and the four fiscal years following that budget year; or
“(B) the current year, the budget year, and the nine fiscal years following that budget year.
“(2) For purposes of this clause, the terms ‘budget year’ and ‘current year’ have the meanings specified in section 250 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and the term ‘mandatory spending’ has the meaning of ‘direct spending’ specified in such section 250 except that such term shall also include provisions in appropriation Acts that make outyear modifications to substantive law as described in section 3(4)(C) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
“(b) If a bill or joint resolution, or an amendment thereto, is considered pursuant to a special order of the House directing the Clerk to add as new matter at the end of such bill or joint resolution the entire text of a separate measure or measures as passed by the House, the new matter proposed to be added shall be included in the evaluation under paragraph (a) of the bill, joint resolution, or amendment.
“(c) (1) Except as provided in subparagraph (2), the evaluation under paragraph (a) shall exclude a provision expressly designated as an emergency for the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, in the case of a point of order under this clause against consideration of—
“(A) a bill or joint resolution;
“(B) an amendment made in order as original text by a special order of business;
“(C) a conference report; or
“(D) an amendment between the Houses.
“(2) In the case of an amendment (other than one specified in subparagraph (1)) to a bill or joint resolution, the evaluation under paragraph (a) shall give no cognizance to any designation of emergency.”.
(2) REQUIRING A VOTE ON RAISING THE DEBT LIMIT.—Amend rule XXVIII to read as follows:
“RULE XXVIII
“(Reserved.)”.
(3) POINT OF ORDER AGAINST AMENDMENTS TO APPROPRIATIONS BILLS INCREASING BUDGET AUTHORITY.—In clause 2 of rule XXI, add at the end the following new paragraph:
“(g) An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if proposing a net increase in the level of budget authority in the bill.”.
(4) LIMITATIONS ON INCREASES IN DIRECT SPENDING IN RECONCILIATION INITIATIVES.—In rule XXI, amend clause 7 to read as follows:
“7. It shall not be in order to consider a concurrent resolution on the budget, or an amendment thereto, or a conference report thereon that contains reconciliation directives under section 310
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Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. RES. 8
Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 9, 2023
Mr. Fallon submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article I.—In his conduct while Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, in violation of his constitutional oath, engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as an Officer of the United States, as follows:
Article II of the Constitution tasks the Executive branch, which today includes the Secretary of Homeland Security, with ensuring the laws passed by Congress and signed into law by the President are faithfully executed. Specifically, the Secure the Fence Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–367) requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to “maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States”.
The term “operational control” is defined as “the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband”.
Over 5,500,000 illegal aliens have crossed our southern border under the leadership of Secretary Mayorkas. There have now been 20 straight months with over 150,000 illegal border crossings. Secretary Mayorkas has presided over a 180-percent increase in encounters at the southern border compared to the previous administration.
In fiscal year 2022, 98 individuals on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) were apprehended at the southern border, more than during the previous 5 years combined. In total, more than 100 individuals on the TSDB have been apprehended under Secretary Mayorkas.
Under Secretary Mayorkas, more fentanyl has crossed the border in the last 2 months than in all of fiscal year 2019 under President Trump’s leadership. In fiscal year 2022, over 14,000 pounds of poisonous fentanyl was seized at the southern border. Fentanyl overdoses are the number one cause of death for individuals ages 18 to 45 nationwide.
Under Secretary Mayorkas, the Department of Homeland Security is also in violation the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). This Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain inadmissible aliens arriving in the United States or aliens who are present in the United States without inspection until processed. In violation of the law, Secretary Mayorkas implemented catch-and-release directives such as the Notice to Report process and the parole plus Alternatives to Detention process. Through these misguided programs, over 1,000,000 illegal aliens have been recklessly released into the interior of the United States.
Secretary Mayorkas has undermined the operational control of our southern border and encouraged illegal immigration by doing the following:
(1) Terminating contracts for additional border wall construction, in contradiction of Congressional appropriations.
(2) Ending the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as “Remain in Mexico”, which was an indispensable tool to address the border crisis and restore integrity to the immigration system.
(3) Attempting to eliminate title 42 authority, a critical tool enabling the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to quickly expel illegal aliens.
Secretary Mayorkas has violated the law and gravely endangered the national security of the United States throu
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Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. RES. 9
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that China is responsible for the COVID–19 pandemic and must be held financially liable for $16,000,000,000,000.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 9, 2023
Mr. Nehls submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that China is responsible for the COVID–19 pandemic and must be held financially liable for $16,000,000,000,000.
Whereas the SARS–CoV–2, hereinafter referred to as “COVID–19”, was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party covered up the existence and downplayed the seriousness of COVID–19, including ordering the destruction of laboratory samples and research regarding COVID–19 in January 2020, and silencing journalists, researchers, and others who attempted to share information about China’s involvement in the origins of COVID–19;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party’s calculated coverup, including reporting inaccurate numbers of infections and deaths, enabled COVID–19 to go global;
Whereas the coverup of COVID–19 by the Chinese Communist Party has caused significant economic harm around the world and has cost the United States economy $16,000,000,000,000;
Whereas the global median gross domestic product dropped by 3.9 percent from 2019 to 2020, making it the worst downturn since the Great Depression;
Whereas, on June 8, 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared a recession, noting that the United States economy had fallen into contraction starting in February 2020;
Whereas at least half of households in the 4 largest cities in the United States, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, reported serious financial problems as a result of COVID–19, including depleted savings, trouble paying bills, or affording medical care;
Whereas a quarter of adults in the United States said they or someone in their household have been laid off or lost a job because of COVID–19;
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic increased extreme poverty between 88,000,000 and 93,000,000 in 2020; and
Whereas over 1,000,000 Americans have died as a result of COVID–19: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) China is responsible for the COVID–19 pandemic and should be held financially responsible for the pandemic’s cost; and
(2) the United States should be reimbursed $16,000,000,000,000 by China for the economic harm caused by the COVID–19 pandemic.
FWIW
Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. Res. 11
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
January 10, 2023.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE STRATEGIC COMPETITION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY.
(a) Establishment; Composition.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established in the House of Representatives a Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Select Committee”).
(2) COMPOSITION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Select Committee shall be composed of not more than 16 Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner appointed by the Speaker, not more than 7 of whom shall be appointed after consultation with the minority leader. The Speaker shall designate one member of the Select Committee as its chair. A vacancy in the membership of the Select Committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
(B) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Speaker and the minority leader shall be ex officio members of the Select Committee but shall have no vote in the Select Committee and may not be counted for purposes of determining a quorum.
(C) DESIGNATION OF LEADERSHIP STAFF MEMBER.—The Speaker and the minority leader each may designate a leadership staff member to assist in their capacity as ex officio members, with the same access to Select Committee meetings, hearings, briefings, and materials as employees of the Select Committee and subject to the same security clearance and confidentiality requirements as staff of the Select Committee.
(b) Jurisdiction; Functions.—
(1) LEGISLATIVE JURISDICTION.—The Select Committee shall not have legislative jurisdiction and shall have no authority to take legislative action on any bill or resolution.
(2) INVESTIGATIVE JURISDICTION.—The sole authority of the Select Committee shall be to investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States. The Select Committee may, at its discretion, hold public hearings in connection with any aspect of its investigative functions.
(c) Procedure.—
(1) Notwithstanding clause 3(m) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Select Committee is authorized to study the sources and methods of entities described in clause 11(b)(1)(A) of rule X insofar as such study is related to the matters described in subsection (b)(2).
(2) Clause 11(b)(4), clause 11(e), and the first sentence of clause 11(f) of rule X shall apply to the Select Committee.
(3) Except as specified in paragraph (4), the Select Committee shall have the authorities and responsibilities of, and shall be subject to the same limitations and restrictions as, a standing committee of the House, and shall be deemed a committee of the House for all purposes of law or rule.
(4) (A) Rules X and XI shall apply to the Select Committee where not inconsistent with this subsection.
(B) Service on the Select Committee shall not count against the limitations in clause 5(b)(2) of rule X.
(C) Clause 2(d) of rule X shall not apply to the Select Committee.
(D) Clause 2(g)(2)(D) of rule XI shall apply to the Select Committee in the same manner as it applies to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
(d) Records; Staff; Travel; Funding.—
(1) The appointment and the compensation of staff for the Select Committee shall be subject to regulations issued by the Committee on House Administration.
(2) (A) Staff of employing entities of the House or a joint committee may be detailed to the Select Committee to carry out this resolution and shall be deemed to be staff of the Select Committee.
(B) The Select Committee may request the he
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Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. Res. 12
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
January 10, 2023.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WEAPONIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
(a) Establishment; Composition.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary called the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (hereinafter referred to as the “select subcommittee”).
(2) COMPOSITION.—
(A) The select subcommittee shall be composed of the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary, together with not more than 13 other Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner appointed by the Speaker, of whom not more than 5 shall be appointed in consultation with the minority leader. The Speaker shall designate one member of the select subcommittee as its chair. Any vacancy in the select subcommittee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
(B) Each member appointed to the select subcommittee shall be treated as though a member of the Committee on the Judiciary for purposes of the select subcommittee.
(b) Investigative Functions And Authority.—
(1) INVESTIGATIVE FUNCTIONS.—The select subcommittee is authorized and directed to conduct a full and complete investigation and study and, not later than January 2, 2025, issue a final report to the House of its findings (and such interim reports as it may deem necessary) regarding—
(A) the expansive role of article II authority vested in the executive branch to collect information on or otherwise investigate citizens of the United States, including ongoing criminal investigations;
(B) how executive branch agencies work with, obtain information from, and provide information to the private sector, non-profit entities, or other government agencies to facilitate action against American citizens, including the extent, if any, to which illegal or improper, unconstitutional, or unethical activities were engaged in by the executive branch or private sector against citizens of the United States;
(C) how executive branch agencies collect, compile, analyze, use, or disseminate information about citizens of the United States, including any unconstitutional, illegal, or unethical activities committed against citizens of the United States;
(D) the laws, programs, and activities of the executive branch as they relate to the collection of information on citizens of the United States and the sources and methods used for the collection of information on citizens of the United States;
(E) any other issues related to the violation of the civil liberties of citizens of the United States; and
(F) any other matter relating to information collected pursuant to the investigation conducted under this paragraph at any time during the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress.
(2) AUTHORITY.—
(A) The select subcommittee may report to the House or any committee of the House from time to time the results of its investigations and studies, together with such detailed findings and legislative recommendations as it may deem advisable.
(B) Any markup of legislation shall be held at the full Committee level consistent with clause 1(l) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives.
(c) Procedure.—
(1) Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives and the rules of the Committee on the Judiciary shall apply to the select subcommittee in the same manner as a subcommittee except as follows:
(A) The chair of the select subcommittee may, after consultation with the ranking minority member, recognize—
(i) members of the select subcommittee to question a witness for periods longer than five minutes as though pursuant to clause 2(j)(2)(B) of such rule XI; and
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Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. RES. 50
Recognizing that article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and “imminent danger” posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors who have seized control of our southern border.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 20, 2023
Mr. Arrington (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Gooden of Texas, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Weber of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and “imminent danger” posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors who have seized control of our southern border.
Whereas the Preamble to the United States Constitution outlines the chief responsibility of the Federal Government is to “insure domestic tranquility” and “provide for the common defense”;
Whereas article IV, section 4 of the United States Constitution clearly states “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion”;
Whereas President Biden has continuously failed to uphold his oath and fulfill his constitutional duty to “faithfully execute” the laws of the land;
Whereas, since President Biden took office, we have seen recordbreaking apprehensions at the southern border;
Whereas monthly apprehensions have exceeded 200,000 for numerous months and continue to increase month over month, eclipsing all-time records for apprehensions at the southern border;
Whereas border States spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on the provision of healthcare, housing, education, and other services for illegal aliens;
Whereas those being apprehended have come from over 160 nations, including many individuals on the terrorist watch list;
Whereas thousands of criminal offenses have been committed by illegal immigrants, including assault, homicide, illegal drug and contraband possession, trafficking, and sexual offenses;
Whereas criminal offenses committed by illegal immigrants have increased one hundred plus percent year over year;
Whereas arrests of illegal immigrants convicted of sex offenses has increased one thousand plus percent year over year according to Customs and Border Protection;
Whereas authorities have seized thousands of pounds of fentanyl—enough to kill every American multiple times over;
Whereas the United States has a drug epidemic whereby tens of thousands of Americans die every year and a little less than 100 percent of drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, are smuggled across the southern border;
Whereas migrant women and children, who represent an increasing number of crossings and face a high risk of sexual assault and trafficking, are abused, raped, tortured, enslaved and trafficked as a result of the Biden administration’s failure to secure our southern Border;
Whereas attempted crossings by, and apprehensions of, illegal immigrant criminals on the FBI’s terror watchlist have increased exponentially year over year, and even more illegal immigrant criminals and terrorists may have slipped across the border without detection—the “gotaways”;
Whereas cartels act as paramilitary, narco-terrorist organizations that profit from trafficking people and drugs across the southern border into the United States;
Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents have confirmed that cartels facilitate and profit from virtually every illegal border crossing;
Whereas the Biden administration has repeatedly removed effective measures that have reduced il
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Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. RES. 64
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Representative Adam Schiff should not have access to classified information, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 26, 2023
Mr. Gaetz submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ethics
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Representative Adam Schiff should not have access to classified information, and for other purposes.
Whereas Representative Adam Schiff served as the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from January 3rd, 2019, to January 3rd, 2023, and as the ranking minority member from January 3rd, 2015, to January 3rd, 2019;
Whereas, in December 2017, Representative Schiff falsely claimed “the Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help, the Russians gave help, and the president made full use of that help” when referring to unsubstantiated claims of collusion between former President Donald J. Trump and Russia during the 2016 election;
Whereas, in January 2019, Representative Schiff claimed there was “clear evidence on the issue of collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia;
Whereas on March 2019 every Republican Member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence signed a letter stating that they had no confidence in Representative Schiff as Chairman;
Whereas the principal conclusions of the Mueller Report determined there was no criminal collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia;
Whereas, in November 2020, Representative Schiff contacted Twitter, asking the tech giant to take action against alleged harassers and spreaders of misinformation, including the removal of content created by State Department staffers such as quotes, retweets, and reactions to content that challenged Schiff’s baseless claims of Russian collusion within the Trump campaign;
Whereas, in November 2020, Representative Schiff's office requested that Twitter “stop the spread of future misinformation on Twitter” regarding Committee staff and reduce the visibility of any content he disagreed with;
Whereas Representative Schiff has proven himself untrustworthy by advancing falsities about former President of the United States Donald J. Trump, as relating to unfounded allegations of collusion with the Russian Federation and attempting to cover his abuse of discretions with legislation; and
Whereas Representative Schiff can no longer be trusted by his colleagues in Congress or the American people: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the “Preventing Extreme Negligence with Classified Information Licenses Resolution” or the “PENCIL Resolution”.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF HOUSE.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1) Representative Adam Schiff should not have access to classified information;
(2) Representative Adam Schiff should be investigated by the Committee on Ethics for potential collusion with rogue elements of the Department of Defense in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of former President Donald J. Trump; and
(3) any comments made by Representative Adam Schiff during any proceeding of Congress regarding Russian collusion and the Trump campaign be officially struck from the record.
Text - H.Res.64 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): PENCIL Resolution | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
FWIW
Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
H. RES. 69
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the dedication and devotion of law enforcement personnel should be recognized and that calls to “defund”, “disband”, “dismantle”, or “abolish” the police should be condemned.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 27, 2023
Ms. Malliotakis (for herself, Mrs. McClain, Mr. Feenstra, Ms. Salazar, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Clyde, Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania, Mr. Carl, Ms. Tenney, Mr. D'Esposito, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. Guest, Mr. Issa, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. Gimenez, Mr. Moolenaar, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Finstad, Mr. Baird, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr. Ciscomani, Mrs. Harshbarger, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Owens, Mr. Bost, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer, Mr. LaLota, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Stauber, Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Williams of New York, and Mr. Calvert) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the dedication and devotion of law enforcement personnel should be recognized and that calls to “defund”, “disband”, “dismantle”, or “abolish” the police should be condemned.
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the House—
(1) recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of law enforcement who keep our communities and our Nation safe; and
(2) condemns calls to “defund”, “disband”, “dismantle”, or “abolish” the police.
FWIW
Staff
From: WALTER784
2/11/23
Chairs Rodgers, Griffith, and Guthrie Launch E&C’s 118th Congress COVID-19 Origins Investigation
Feb 02, 2023
Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) today launched the committee’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19 for the 118th Congress. The members sent letters to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and EcoHealth Alliance for information and documents as well as formally noticing a preservation of documents related to research done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
“With more than a million American lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, fully examining all available evidence to have a clearer picture of the origins of COVID-19 is one of the greatest public health responsibilities of our lifetime. For the past two years, Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans have been pursuing an in-depth investigation into the early days of SARS-CoV-2 with an emphasis on the virus’ origins,” said Chairs Rodgers, Griffith, and Guthrie. “Despite severely inadequate cooperation to date from the NIH and EcoHealth, we expect greater responsiveness to our Republican majority—either voluntarily or through the Committee’s authority. As we learned in yesterday’s oversight hearing, the stakes are too high with the growing risks of future pandemics for our nation not to unite behind stronger efforts to investigate the origins of pandemics. We will continue to pursue the facts related to how NIH spends taxpayer dollars and to what extent it was involved in potentially dangerous research in a hostile nation within a lab that was not at an adequate biosafety level. Bringing the truth to light is crucial in our efforts to help restore public trust in our government institutions.”
The letters come in the lead up to a February 8, 2023, joint Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Subcommittee on Health hearing titled: “The Federal Response to COVID-19” at which Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., PhD., Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director at the NIH, is confirmed to testify.
KEY NIH LETTER EXCERPT:
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic biological incident resulting so far in the deaths of more than a million Americans and more than 6 million people worldwide. The threat of similar pandemics is increasing. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted, globalization, climate change, and urbanization has increased the probability, intensity, and frequency of catastrophic biological incidents. A study in 2021 found a high probability of observing pandemics similar to COVID-19 (probability of experiencing it in one’s lifetime is 38 percent), which may double in coming decades. The global proliferation of high-containment laboratories has similarly increased the probability of a catastrophic biological incident caused by the escape of a pandemic pathogen.“
CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Dr. Tabak.
KEY ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE LETTER EXCERPT:
“As noted by the NIH and in EcoHealth’s correspondence with NIH, EcoHealth failed to obtain laboratory notebooks and electronic files of transgenic mice experiment(s) conducted by the WIV as a research activity supported by the NIH grant. This material failure violated the NIH grant terms and conditions. There is no evidence that the work from the experiment(s) was ever published. There is no substantiation of the experiment(s) other than the WIV’s assertions to EcoHealth that included inconsistent and incomplete data representations. Thus, there was no scientific work product produced for the American taxpayers who helped finance these efforts, and no useful information to support pandemic preparedness efforts. Further, EcoHealth's lack of monitoring of the WIV research in accordance with NIH grant terms presented additional biosafety risks, raising questions about the possibility that WIV biosafety lapses could have contributed to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
FWIW
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