U.S. funding for gain-of-function research in China banned under Ernst bill

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is pushing for a full accounting of how American taxpayer dollars are being used on scientific experiments overseas.

The senator said on Nov. 1 she is introducing the Fairness and Accountability in Underwriting Chinese Institutions Act, or the FAUCI Act, which would ban U.S. funding for gain-of-function research in China.

“We need a full accounting of how and where our tax dollars are being spent—enough is enough,” Sen. Ernst said on Nov. 1. “The FAUCI Act will put an end to U.S. funding of gain-of-function research in Communist China, go after government officials who intentionally mislead Congress, and bring about badly needed transparency and accountability.”

The senator’s bill also would ensure that any NIH employee, official, or grantee that intentionally misleads Congress, or the Inspector General, will be ineligible for current or future federal grants and employment. Additionally, the bill calls for a full accounting of U.S. involvement in gain-of-function research, particularly in China, according to a bill summary.

Sen. Ernst continues to push for answers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about the United States funding bat coronavirus experiments in China through grant money to the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance and a subaward to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“For years, American tax dollars were funneled into Communist China, funding dangerous experiments on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Lab, while the head of the division funding those activities, Dr. Fauci, failed to tell the truth to Congress,” Sen. Ernst said.

In June, the senator also introduced the Stop the Outlay of Payments (STOP) Act, S. 2056, which would cut off funding to any organization, such as EcoHealth, that refuses to provide information about a project or fails to obey federal laws.