Wuhan Lab Finally Defunded

The controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) has been at the center of intense scrutiny and speculation since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a shocking revelation, the WCW Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to uncovering and combating wasteful government spending, has exposed the misuse of taxpayer funds by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the EcoHealth Alliance (EHA) in funding dangerous bat and animal experiments at the Wuhan lab. The investigation suggests that these experiments may have played a role in the lab leak and subsequent global health crisis.

Waste of Taxpayer Funds:
The WCW Project’s investigation, initially revealed to the UK’s Daily Mail in April 2020, highlighted the wasteful allocation of a $3.7 million NIH grant to fund risky experiments at the Wuhan lab. These experiments involved collecting coronaviruses from wild bats, manipulating them to be more dangerous to humans, and testing their impact on “humanized” mice. The findings drew sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who swiftly cut off the NIH grant, labeling it as a “tremendous waste in the government.”

Violation of Federal Ban:
Further scrutiny uncovered evidence that the Wuhan lab, in collaboration with the NIH and EHA, had violated a federal ban on gain-of-function experiments established by the Obama-Biden Administration in 2014. The WCW investigation exposed the collusion between these organizations, raising concerns about the ethical and safety implications of such experiments. The revelation shed light on the need to defund the Wuhan lab and its questionable partners.

WCW’s Advocacy Efforts:
Since early 2020, the WCW Project has been tirelessly lobbying Congress to permanently defund the Wuhan lab. Despite successful endeavors to cut off taxpayer funding from the US State Department and Pentagon, the lab remained eligible for NIH funds designated for animal testing until 2024. WCW’s advocacy work gained momentum and triggered an internal NIH video that revealed the agency’s active lobbying against efforts to defund the lab.

Federal Watchdog Report and Subsequent Actions:
In January 2023, a federal watchdog report, prompted by WCW’s investigation, recommended a permanent prohibition on providing tax dollars to the Wuhan lab. The report cited the lab’s non-cooperation with investigations related to the NIH-funded gain-of-function animal experiments it conducted. However, until late April, the Wuhan lab was still listed as an approved animal lab by the NIH, fueling concerns regarding the allocation of taxpayer funds.

Historic Victory in the War on Waste:
In a significant development, WCW recently discovered that the NIH quietly removed the Wuhan lab from its list of approved animal labs. This development marks a crucial victory in the ongoing battle against wasteful spending and unethical experimentation. WCW’s dedication to its Worldwide Waste campaign, aimed at identifying, exposing, and defunding animal experiments worldwide, remains steadfast.

Source: WhiteCoatWaste