5 things to know about rule changes in the 118th Congress
2. Investigate the origins of COVID-19
The new House rules authorize the establishment of “a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability called the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.” The committee, which will consist of not more than 12 members appointed by the speaker, no more than five of whom will be chosen in consultation with the House minority leader, is tasked with compiling a report that must be issued to the House by Jan. 2, 2025.
The report will examine “the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic, including but not limited to the Federal Government’s funding of gain-of-function research” as well as “the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of the use of taxpayer funds and relief programs to address the coronavirus pandemic, including any reports of waste, fraud, or abuse.”
The committee will also study the impact of federal laws and regulations implemented to address the pandemic in addition to “the societal impact of decisions to close schools, how the decisions were made and whether there is evidence of widespread learning loss or other negative effects as a result of these decisions.” The creation of a subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic reflects concerns about the effects of public policy enacted before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Critics of coronavirus public policy warn that the U.S. government might have played a role in creating the pandemic that has killed millions of people worldwide and caused enormous economic hardship due to the lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of the disease. The National Institutes of Health has admitted to conducting gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
As Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., explained, gain-of-function research involves “juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans.” The federal government has denied that the coronavirus pandemic broke out because of a lab leak that occurred while scientists conducted gain-of-function research using the COVID-19 pathogen at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Additional points of contention surrounding coronavirus pandemic public policy include a lack of accountability for funds distributed as part of the stimulus packages passed to blunt the economic impact of the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program designed to provide loans to small businesses so they could pay their employees.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
