• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Sunday, May 18, 2025
The Iowa Torch
  • Home
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion
The Iowa Torch
The Iowa Torch
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Ernst: Investigation proves group that funneled tax dollars into Chinese labs can’t be trusted.

Joni Ernst: Washington is looking for ways to trim spending—let’s start by cutting the millions of dollars flowing to EcoHealth’s batty experiments.

Joni ErnstbyJoni Ernst
February 2, 2023
in Opinion
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Ernst Expresses Concern About Trump’s Upcoming Senate Impeachment Trial

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015.

Nearly two years ago, I requested an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) into EcoHealth Alliance —the shady organization that funneled taxpayer money into China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to conduct risky research on coronaviruses. /c

RELATED POSTS

Feenstra: Lowering the cost of childcare for our families

Grassley: History informs farm policies of today

Hendrickson: Iowa taxpayers win big in 2024

The investigation came after we learned that EcoHealth was spending our tax dollars on dangerous experiments in Wuhan, China, and was not disclosing information about those projects to the public, as required by law. 

Since the world learned of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the role EcoHealth Alliance might have played in a potential lab leak, the group has received more than $40 million. Just last month, the Biden administration awarded the group $3 million out of the Pentagon’s budget.

Finally, this week, HHS released their investigation. The findings were damning.

The OIG found EcoHealth, the WIV, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were all negligent. First and foremost, EcoHealth did not immediately notify NIH when a coronavirus was enhanced to become more lethal, which is required by law. And when the group finally did report it, NIH did not quickly act to have the pathogen reviewed for pandemic potential. 

ADVERTISEMENT

To no one’s surprise, China’s WIV refused to turn over information about the coronavirus experiments being conducted in its labs—with taxpayer dollars—that NIH repeatedly requested, leaving even more unanswered questions. And finally, EcoHealth misspent tens of thousands of tax dollars on bonuses, junkets, and other unallowable costs.

In terms of recommendations, the report suggests that the WIV should be permanently barred from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars —something Americans knew when concerns first arose regarding the origins of COVID-19. The OIG also recommends that EcoHealth return misspent taxpayer money, and the NIH increase oversight of EcoHealth Alliance, and other projects involving potential pandemic pathogens.

While NIH certainly shares in the blame, EcoHealth is ultimately at fault for failing to tell the world what was really going on at China’s Wuhan Institute and should be permanently barred from receiving taxpayer dollars. EcoHealth is guilty of either complacency or cover-up—or maybe a little of both.

EcoHealth was supposed to be searching for coronaviruses that could pose a threat to humans. But the virus might have been hiding in plain sight, created right in their own lab experiments! The organization was paid millions, promising their hunt for bat viruses would protect the world from a pandemic. Well, sure enough, the world got a pandemic, but EcoHealth keeps getting millions.

Folks, we CANNOT afford any more of EcoHealth Alliance’s “prevention” efforts. Washington is looking for ways to trim spending—let’s start by cutting the millions of dollars flowing to EcoHealth’s batty experiments.

Tags: COVID-19EcoHealth AllianceJoni ErnstU.S. Department of Health and Human servicesWuhan Institute of Virology
ShareTweetShare
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Bird joins lawsuit against Biden Administration’s Parole Action

Next Post

Ingstad & Hendrickson: Iowa education reforms point to what’s next

Joni Ernst

Joni Ernst

Joni Ernst has represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate since 2015. A Republican from Red Oak, Ernst served in the Iowa State Senate from 2011 to 2014, and in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1993 to 2015, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Related Posts

Hinson: Use biofuels to bring down the cost of gas today
Federal Government

EPA issues emergency fuel waiver for E15 sales

April 19, 2024
Grassley: Big Victories for Rural Healthcare
Federal Government

Grassley says feds are ‘dragging feet’ on bolstering cybersecurity defense

April 11, 2024
Reynolds says she will sign biofuels bill
Opinion

Ernst: Give homegrown Iowa biofuels the green light

April 10, 2024
Opinion

Ernst: Putting more farm in the Farm Bill

March 29, 2024
the united states capitol building in washington
Federal Government

Sarah’s Law passes House Judiciary Committee

March 29, 2024
Ernst Expresses Concern About Trump’s Upcoming Senate Impeachment Trial
Federal Government

Ernst leads bipartisan push to end taxpayer dollar abuse at USAID

March 23, 2024
Next Post
Reynolds signs bill creating education savings accounts

Ingstad & Hendrickson: Iowa education reforms point to what’s next

State of Iowa invites feedback about where to spend broadband funding

Recommended Articles

Axne Praises Extension of Federal Eviction Moratorium

Axne Praises Extension of Federal Eviction Moratorium

August 4, 2021
Reynolds Says Iowa Will Be Ready to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine

Reynolds Says Iowa Will Be Ready to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine

November 24, 2020

Feenstra Joins Colleagues in Requesting Committee Investigation into COVID-19 Origins

August 2, 2021

Popular Stories

  • Iowa Schools Now Required to Lead Students in Pledge of Allegiance

    Iowa Schools Now Required to Lead Students in Pledge of Allegiance

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Editorial: Sand Used the State Auditor’s Office to Play Politics

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three LGTBQ Books with Sexually Explicit Material Pulled from Waukee School

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • New report ranks Iowa second in nation for health care

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Miller-Meeks: We must increase the quality of life for children with complex diseases

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
The Iowa Torch

The Iowa Torch​ is a for-profit, news organization that focuses on political news as it relates to Iowans

Categories

  • Current Events
  • Education
  • Federal Government
  • Iowa History
  • Local Government
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • State Government

Newsletter

© 2022 The Iowa Torch, a publication of 4:15 Communications, LLC.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion

© 2022 The Iowa Torch, a publication of 4:15 Communications, LLC.