Reporter : Mark Tapscott/Compiled by Gao Shan / Editor : Ye Ziwei/ https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/6/17/n13027392.htm / Direct translation
Image: The picture shows the Wuhan Institute of Virology, China. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
The auditors of the Office of the Inspector-General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) are investigating whether officials from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) have properly managed research funding because part of the funds allocated was finally obtained by the Wuhan Institute of Viology (WIV) in China, and used for the controversial "gain-of-function" research.
On Tuesday (15 June), the Office of the Inspector General revealed in the update of its work plan, “The Office of the Inspector General has previously confirmed that the National Institutes of Health’s supervision of grants to foreign applicants is essential for achieving project objectives and reasonableness. The use of federal funds constitutes a potential risk."
The Office of the Inspector General stated, “The National Institutes of Health must manage and implement federal funding to ensure that the use of federal funds and the implementation of related programs are in full compliance with statutory and public policy requirements. To do this, the National Institutes of Health must Monitor the performance of grant recipients and the use of funds allocated by the National Institutes of Health."
"Recipients of grants are responsible for complying with all requirements for federal grants, including maintaining effective internal control over federal grants."
Earlier this year, Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst asked the Office of the Inspector General to investigate the New York-based non-profit research foundation EcoHealth Alliance, saying it failed to comply with the use of disclosure requirements for grants from the National Institutes of Health. This prompted the Office of the Inspector General to launch this investigation.
Ernst told reporters at the Pen & Pad meeting in her office on Tuesday, "This is why the Office of the Inspector General is investigating EcoHealth's failure to comply with federal laws." "In addition to finding the source of the virus, we also need to track related scientific research and track related funds."
EcoHealth is accused of using U.S. federal funds to support research on "viral function enhancement" at the Wuhan Virus Laboratory in China. These studies include technologies that modify the DNA of the virus to give it additional characteristics, including making the virus more resistant to vaccines, allowing it to spread more quickly between victims, and causing the infected person to produce specific symptoms.
The WIV has been closely related to SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus, covi, CCP virus) and it began to spread from China to all over the world, including the United States, in November 2019. It is estimated that 3 million people worldwide have died of this virus, including more than 600,000 Americans.
CCP officials insist that the virus was spread to humans through raw meat sold in an open-air market not far from the laboratory. However, many officials in the United States and other countries, as well as experts in the government and public health departments, believe that this infectious disease may have been designed in the CCP’s laboratory but was released due to accidents or other reasons. This Wuhan virus laboratory has close ties with the Chinese military and has received funding from the US government.
Justin Goodman, vice president of advocacy and public policy at the White Coat Waste Project, attended the meeting and introduced the scope of the National Institutes of Health's funding for EcoHealth.
Goodman told reporters, "Just a few figures have been able to let everyone see how serious this problem is. It is only about EcoHealth, not to mention that it may have been identified by the Office of the Inspector General. All other grant recipients are also all violating the law. Since 2008, EcoHealth has received $61.5 million from taxpayers."
Goodman said, "Since the outbreak, they have received 19 million U.S. dollars, of which 17 million U.S. dollars comes from the Department of Defense, and more than 2 million U.S. dollars comes from the National Institutes of Health."
He said: “Therefore, although (EcoHealth) has been violating the law and the National Institutes of Health has been informed that they are violating the law, the National Institutes of Health continues to fund the EcoHealth Alliance, whether it is correct research is still conducted elsewhere in China."
EcoHealth did not respond to the Epoch Times’ request for comment.
EcoHealth also refused to respond to a request from Republicans in the House of Representatives regarding its participation in the WIV for research information on the discovery of the coronavirus in bats.
A minority senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote in a letter to the non-profit organization on April 16: “The EcoHealth Alliance’s response to the Chinese bat coronavirus Extensive research has been carried out, some of which are considered to be the precursors of SARS CoV-2. In addition, EcoHealth has cooperated with WIV in this research field, and WIV lists EcoHealth as one of its eight international cooperations. One of the partners, and the only one from the United States."
The letter was also signed by the Republican of Kentucky Brett Guthrie and the Republican of Virginia Morgan Griffith. This 10-page letter asked the non-profit organization 34 detailed questions.
The letter also read, "In addition, for several years, EcoHealth has provided Wuhan Institute of Virology with part of the federal funds it has obtained from the National Institutes of Health, and used its bat coronavirus research as a secondary recipient of federal grants. According to reports, EcoHealth Chinese bat research project was fully funded by the National Institutes of Health."
Ernst also announced on Tuesday that she is introducing legislation requiring federal funding agencies to forcefully suspend federal funding if recipients fail to comply with all disclosure requirements.
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