The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defunded EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former president, Dr Peter Daszak on January 18, when the HHS formally debarred both from receiving federal funding for five years. This decision came after an eight-month investigation based on evidence uncovered by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The debarment stems from factors like that EcoHealth Alliance allegedly facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan in China without proper oversight, that the organization willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, that EcoHealth failed to report dangerous gain-of-function experiments to the government and that the organization submitted a required annual research update nearly two years late.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., praised the debarment as “justice for the American people” according to Fox News. The media outlet also states that the period of debarment for EcoHealth Alliance is set to end on May 14, 2029, while Dr. Daszak’s debarment will end on May 20, 2029. EcoHealth Alliance has contested the allegations, stating that they will “contest debarment vigorously” and that there has been a “rush to judgment, with no due process”. The organization claims that it has worked closely with various government agencies to ensure compliance with regulations and has implemented recommendations for improving oversight.
The debarment follows a series of investigations and reports, including a May 2024 interim report by the Select Subcommittee detailing its investigation into government funding and lack of oversight on gain-of-function research. It was revealed that EcoHealth Alliance received nearly $100 million from the federal government over the past decade and a half. While the connection between Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results, it is important to note that Dr. Fauci, as the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was involved in decisions regarding funding for gain-of-function research. The debarment of EcoHealth Alliance and Dr. Daszak may lead to increased scrutiny of Dr. Fauci’s role in approving and overseeing such research. The consequences of this debarment and the ongoing investigations is to be an increased oversight and regulation of gain-of-function research in the United States and a reevaluation of international collaborations in virus research.
The claim of EcoHealth Alliance about having had close contact with government agencies seems not to be untrue. Further investigations into the role of gain-of-function research means a more thorough scrutiny of that close connection between Anthony Fauci and Peter Daszak. This is significant due to its implications for the origins of COVID-19 and the part gain-of-function research played in that. Fauci, as the former director of NIAID, was involved in decisions regarding funding for EcoHealth Alliance, Daszak’s organization. This included approving grants for coronavirus research conducted in collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Growing email evidence reveal that Daszak and Fauci maintained a supportive relationship and how Daszak praised Fauci for publicly downplaying the lab leak theory, while Fauci appeared to sympathize with Daszak’s situation during investigations. Both Fauci and Daszak played roles in shaping the early narrative about COVID-19’s origins, that has later shown to be desinformation. Daszak authored a statement in The Lancet dismissing lab-based explanations as conspiracies, while Fauci made public statements supporting the natural origin theory. Fauci’s senior adviser, David Morens, actively assisted Daszak in responding to inquiries and maintaining funding in efforts to protect the project. The connection between Fauci and NIAID and Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance raises questions about the oversight of the gain-of-function NIH funded and conducted through EcoHealth Alliance. 12 This connection has played a considerable part to significantly impact public trust in health institutions and sparked debates about the transparency and accountability of scientific research funding and oversight.
House Oversight press release
House Oversight recommendation
https://oversight.house.gov/release/breaking-hhs-formally-debars-ecohealth-alliance-dr-peter-daszak-after-covid-select-reveals-pandemic-era-wrongdoing/
https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Dr.-Peter-Daszak-HHS-Notice_Jan-17-2025_Redacted.pdf
https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Notice-_EHA_1.17.2025_Redacted.pdf
