News

Latest News

Rubio, Marshall Demands USAID End Taxpayer Dollars to EcoHealth Alliance Funding

Sep 19, 2022 | Press Releases

For years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has paid EcoHealth Alliance (EcoHealth) millions of taxpayer dollars to operate as an offshore vehicle to channel USAID and other federal grants to foreign researchers. EcoHealth has sponsored risky research activities at the Wuhan Institute for Virology, with the National Institutes of Health determining that its research activities there posed “serious bio-safety concerns.” USAID’s continued funding of EcoHealth gives foreign researchers the ability to collect and experiment on dangerous pathogens with pandemic potential and prevents direct U.S. oversight.  

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) wrote a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power demanding the agency put a halt to taxpayer-funded financial awards to EcoHealth. 

  • “Congress has passed legislation to stop funding EcoHealth’s dangerous coronavirus research in China and has taken key votes designed to halt U.S. involvement in this practice.” 
  • “By passing [this legislation] Congress is sending a strong signal which should be directly included as aggravating factors during USAID’s grant risk evaluation for funding EcoHealth.” 

Click here for a full list of cosigners.

Want more? Read the full letter here