WASHINGTON: The House voted unanimously on Friday to make public US intelligence about the origins of Covid-19, in a broad show of bipartisan support as the deadly pandemic nears its third anniversary.
The 419-0 vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk for signing into law.
The debate was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly virus began and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.
“The American public deserves answers for every aspect of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
This includes, he said, “how this virus was created and, in particular, whether it was a natural phenomenon or the result of a laboratory-related event.”
Order to focus on intelligence related to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing a “possible link” between research conducted there and the outbreak of Covid-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020 .
US intelligence agencies are divided over whether a lab leak or spread from animals is the likely source of the deadly virus.
Experts say the true origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 1 million Americans, may not be known for many years – if ever.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, during the debate. “Because without transparency the American people cannot have the voices they need to responsibly as citizens of a democracy.”
Led by Republicans, the focus on the origins of the virus comes as the House launched a select committee that held hearings earlier in the week on how the pandemic began.
It provided a rare moment of bipartisanship despite often heated rhetoric about the origins of the coronavirus and questions about the response to the virus by US health officials, including former top health adviser Anthony Fauci.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. The legislation had already been approved by the Senate.
If signed into law, the measure would require the declassification of “any and all information relating to a possible link between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus disease” within 90 days.
This includes information about research and other activities in the laboratory and whether any researchers have been ill.
The 419-0 vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk for signing into law.
The debate was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly virus began and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.
“The American public deserves answers for every aspect of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
This includes, he said, “how this virus was created and, in particular, whether it was a natural phenomenon or the result of a laboratory-related event.”
Order to focus on intelligence related to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing a “possible link” between research conducted there and the outbreak of Covid-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020 .
US intelligence agencies are divided over whether a lab leak or spread from animals is the likely source of the deadly virus.
Experts say the true origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 1 million Americans, may not be known for many years – if ever.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, during the debate. “Because without transparency the American people cannot have the voices they need to responsibly as citizens of a democracy.”
Led by Republicans, the focus on the origins of the virus comes as the House launched a select committee that held hearings earlier in the week on how the pandemic began.
It provided a rare moment of bipartisanship despite often heated rhetoric about the origins of the coronavirus and questions about the response to the virus by US health officials, including former top health adviser Anthony Fauci.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. The legislation had already been approved by the Senate.
If signed into law, the measure would require the declassification of “any and all information relating to a possible link between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus disease” within 90 days.
This includes information about research and other activities in the laboratory and whether any researchers have been ill.
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