USDA Bird Flu Research in China Sparks Congressional Concern
Research on highly pathogenic strains of bird flu conducted by the Department of Agriculture in affiliation with Chinese Communist Party scientific researchers is drawing renewed scrutiny from representatives in Congress following the growing outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows this month.
A bipartisan group of representatives in the House began probing the USDA this month regarding two collaborative research projects with the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducting potentially dangerous research on several strains of avian influenza that are genetically similar to the H5N1 strain currently circulating in the United States.
This heightened scrutiny comes as outside observers of the bird flu outbreak note that the situation is eerily similar to the secrecy of January and February 2020 before the official beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) joined a group of 20 legislators in sending a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilkas on April 12, saying they were “disturbed” that U.S. taxpayer funds were being allocated for research that “could potentially generate dangerous new lab-created virus strains that threaten our national security and public health.”
Griffith told the Washington Examiner this week that he is highly concerned about the USDA’s research, considering the history of biosecurity failures in U.S.-funded virus research in China. (Read more from “USDA Bird Flu Research in China Sparks Congressional Concern” HERE)
