Millions of dollars in federal research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were awarded to the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance to study bat coronaviruses in China. Between fiscal year 2008 and 2024, the U.S. government allocated approximately $94.3 million in taxpayer funds to EcoHealth Alliance through various means such as contracts, grants, direct payments, loans, and other forms of financial assistance.
In January 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general released a 64-page report indicating that the NIH did not adequately adhere to its policies and procedures for three grants to EcoHealth Alliance, totaling about $8 million, between 2014 and 2021.
It didn’t stop the now-disgraced EcoHealth Alliance from grabbing nearly $100 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the research, which is now believed to have played a significant role in creating the deadly COVID-19 virus. Even more damning, the organization continued to accept taxpayer money as the pandemic they caused raged on worldwide.
According to Dr. Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University known for criticizing the NIH, the U.S. government has allocated upwards of $50 million to EcoHealth Alliance since the beginning of the pandemic. Most of this funding was designated for research activities related to virus discovery and enhancement, which Ebright believes contributed to the outbreak.
Last week, Dr. Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance, received a letter from a government official informing him of his suspension and potential debarment from specific government programs. This action is linked to his roles as the president of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. and as a Program Director/Principal Investigator for the National Institutes of Health.
The letter outlined numerous instances of EcoHealth’s non-compliance with grant procedures and stated that the information available provides sufficient evidence to justify the immediate suspension of Daszak. Considering his position as the President of EcoHealth Alliance, this action was deemed a necessary safeguard.
As a result, he may be prohibited from participating in various government procurement and non-procurement activities.
According to Ebright, government agencies that provided the most funding to EcoHealth include the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense, and the NIH.
Based on evidence presented in the House COVID Select Subcommittee’s report regarding EcoHealth, the Department of Health and Human Services immediately suspended all funds designated for the organization across the government. According to HHS, EcoHealth deliberately violated the terms of a substantial NIH grant.
Following the suspension, a spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance expressed disappointment, strongly disagreeing with HHS’ decision and stating their intention to present evidence countering the allegations. The spokesperson emphasized that EcoHealth’s continued support from the NIH is in the “public’s best interest.”
The spokesperson emphasized that EcoHealth Alliance did not endorse “gain-of-function” research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). They stated that any claims suggesting otherwise stemmed from misinterpretation or deliberate misrepresentation of the actual research conducted.
Additionally, the spokesperson claimed that the bat coronavirus research carried out by EcoHealth Alliance and WIV did not involve viruses known to infect humans or cause significant harm. Thus, they argue it did not meet the criteria for gain-of-function research. They concluded that the studies conducted by both organizations could not have initiated the COVID-19 pandemic.
An examination of EcoHealth’s activities, submitted belatedly on August 3, 2021, revealed that the work conducted at the Wuhan Institute may have resulted in a more significant rise in viral activity, contrary to the conditions outlined in the grant agreement, as stated in the memorandum.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to investigate EcoHealth Alliance, focusing on various aspects of its research activities and its partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). So far, the investigation revealed a lack of proper oversight of gain-of-function research conducted by both EcoHealth and WIV, highlighting concerns about EcoHealth’s failure to immediately report experiments showing excessive viral growth.
Secondly, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded EcoHealth’s coronavirus research projects, yet EcoHealth failed to immediately notify NIH when a coronavirus was enhanced to be more lethal. Furthermore, when such notification occurred, NIH did not promptly review the pathogen for pandemic potential.
Some subcommittee members have called for criminal investigations and formal debarment of EcoHealth Alliance, aiming to ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible research practices in pandemic preparedness and response.
As the depths of corruption of EcoHealth Alliance and former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to President Anthony Fauci is revealed, it just keeps getting worse. Only time will tell how high up the chain of command the corruption extended, but it seems that all signs point to a deliberate coverup by the Biden administration.
