The US Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) will immediately commence official debarment proceedings and implement a government-wide suspension of US taxpayer funds to EcoHealth – including a hold on all active grants.

At the beginning of this month, the United States House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic recommended that EcoHealth Alliance and its president Peter Daszak should be criminally investigated and formally debarred.

The recommendation came after the Select Subcommittee examined Daszak about EcoHealth’s use of US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and hold Daszak publicly accountable for any and all discrepancies between his closed-door transcribed interview of November 2023 and available evidence.

Read more: US House Select Subcommittee recommends Peter Daszak and EcoHealth be criminally investigated

Yesterday, The Select Subcommittee issued a statement confirming that HHS had accepted their recommendation to formally debar EcoHealth Alliance.

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup issued the following statement:

EcoHealth Alliance and Dr. Peter Daszak should never again receive a single penny from the US taxpayer. Only two weeks after the Select Subcommittee released an extensive report detailing EcoHealth’s wrongdoing and recommending the formal debarment of EcoHealth and its president, HHS has begun efforts to cut off all US funding to this corrupt organisation.

EcoHealth facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China without proper oversight, willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health grant, and apparently made false statements to the NIH. These actions are wholly abhorrent, indefensible, and must be addressed with swift action. EcoHealth’s immediate funding suspension and future debarment is not only a victory for the US taxpayer but also for American national security and the safety of citizens worldwide.

The Select Subcommittee’s investigation into EcoHealth and the origins of Covid-19 is far from over. Dr. Daszak and his team are still required to produce all outstanding documents and answer the Select Subcommittee’s questions, specifically related to Dr. Daszak’s potential dishonesty under oath. We will hold EcoHealth accountable for any waste, fraud, and abuse and are committed to uncovering any illegal activity, including lying to Congress, NIH, or the Inspector General.

HHS Suspends Funding and Proposes Formal Debarment of EcoHealth Alliance, Cites Evidence from Covid Select Report, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability: Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, 15 May 2024

Read the Select Subcommittee’s report titled ‘An Evaluation of the Evidence Surrounding EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.’s Research Activities’ HERE.

Read today’s letter from HHS to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. HERE.

Read HHS’s action referral memorandum HERE.