Ashish Ranjan
US House votes unanimously to declassify info about origins of COVID-19: On Friday, the House votes unanimously to declassify Covid origins intel about the origins of Covid-19, demonstrating broad bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the lethal pandemic’s outbreak.
The 419-0 vote was the ultimate congressional approval, sending the bill to the desk of President Joe Biden. It is uncertain whether the president will sign the bill into law, and the White House has stated that the matter is being evaluated.Biden responded, “I haven’t decided yet,” when asked late Friday whether he would sign the measure.
The House debate was concise and to the point: Americans have concerns about the origin of the deadly virus and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, stated, “The American public deserves answers on all aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
This includes, as he stated, “how this virus was created and, specifically, whether it was the consequence of a natural occurrence or a lab-related event.”The order to declassify intelligence centred on China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing “potential connections” between the institute’s research and the outbreak of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
There is disagreement among U.S. intelligence agencies as to whether a lab leak or animal contamination is the probable source of the deadly virus.The true origin of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over one million Americans, may not be known for decades, if ever.
During the debate, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, stated, “Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy.”Initiated by Republicans, the focus on the origins of the virus comes as the House convened a special committee earlier in the week to investigate hypotheses about the origins of the pandemic.
Despite the frequently heated rhetoric about the origins of the coronavirus and the questions about the response to the virus by U.S. health officials, including former top health adviser Anthony Fauci, this represents an uncommon moment of bipartisanship.The Senate has already approved the legislation proposed by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley .
Hawley implored Biden to approve the bill. He stated in a statement, “The American people deserve to know the truth.”If enacted, the bill would mandate the declassification of “any and all information relating to potential connections between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the Coronavirus Disease” within 90 days.
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This includes information about research and other activities at the facility, as well as the health status of any researchers.
