Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has proposed a legislative change that could ban funding for laboratories involved in specific types of vaccine development.
Vaccine Lab Funding
Greene, a member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, shared her vision on X, formerly known as Twitter, focusing on the prohibition of labs that develop vaccines for artificially created lethal viruses.
Committee’s Investigative Scope
The House committee is currently investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their scope of inquiry includes the lab leak theory and various aspects of the U.S. response to the pandemic, such as vaccine mandates and government-led programs.
Fauci’s Committee Interview
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading expert in infectious diseases until his retirement last year, has been actively involved in these investigations, having participated in a lengthy interview with the committee earlier this month.
Greene’s Stance on Vaccine Labs
Greene’s post on X stated, “Every committee has a legislative purpose. Our @COVIDSelect committee should pass legislation to ban funding to labs that create viruses to kill people and create vaccines as the cure for the man made lethal viruses.”
Bio-Weapon Creation Concerns
She regards these practices as akin to creating bio-weapons rather than scientific research.
Greene Accuses Fauci
Previously, Greene declared Fauci as an “enemy to our nation,” accusing him of playing a “major role in creating a bioweapon, which is COVID-19,”
Lab Ban Raises Question
The proposed ban by Greene raises questions about which labs would be affected, given the extensive global network involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.
Widespread Collaborative
This complexity was highlighted by Paul Offit, an expert in immunology and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who emphasized the widespread collaborative effort in vaccine development.
Misconception About Vaccine Origins
Offit told Newsweek, “The notion that there was a lab that made this vaccine, or even a couple labs that made this vaccine, it’s not right.”
Contribution to Vaccine Development
William Schaffner, an expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, shared similar views, pointing out that several labs in the US and Europe contributed to the development of the vaccine.
Vaccine Funding
The Trump administration initially allocated funding for the COVID vaccines through Operation Warp Speed, a federal initiative financed with approximately $10 billion from the CARES Act.
Focus on Gain of Function Research
According to Schaffner, Greene’s proposal seems to target “gain of function” research. This type of research is conducted in laboratories where scientists develop potential pandemic viruses, aiming to understand how to prevent and treat future pandemics.
Negative Impact
Offit, who played a crucial role in developing the rotavirus vaccine, cautioned that imposing restrictions on the scope of laboratory research might lead to serious negative consequences for the scientific community.
Freedom to Explore
He emphasized that the progress of discoveries and technological innovations in science hinges on the freedom to explore various research avenues.
Shutting Down Science
Offit said, “There’s no shutting that down unless you just want to shut down the entire scientific process.”
Funding Suspensions
Greene’s proposal follows the U.S. government’s decision to halt funding to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing noncompliance with federal regulations.
Fauci’s Oversight and Grants Questioned
After the interviews, Committee Chairman Brad Wenstrup stated that Dr. Fauci approved domestic and foreign research grants without thoroughly reviewing them and was uncertain about the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) oversight of funded laboratories.
Concerns Over Fauci’s Memory
Wenstrup also expressed concern over Fauci’s inability to recall important details regarding the origins of COVID-19 and policies during the pandemic.
Virus Enhancement Accusations
Again, Greene blamed Fauci for contributing to virus enhancement for vaccine development, leading to her call for imprisonment after his testimony.
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