Biden hasn’t made a decision on COVID origins bill
Biden says he has yet to make a decision on whether to sign a bill releasing all information about the origins of COVID after the House unanimously passes the legislation
President Joe Biden said Friday afternoon that he has not yet made a decision on whether to sign a bill that would release all of the information the government has about the origins of COVID-19.
“I haven’t made that decision yet,” he told reporters as he left the White House for another weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.
Earlier Friday, the House voted unanimously for the Biden administration to release all information related to the origins of COVID — nearly three years since the Trump administration declared a national emergency over the pandemic.
The American public is now one step closer to discovering the truth about the onset of the virus that led to widespread lockdowns and restrictions, and to what extent China is to blame.
The vote passed 419-0 on Friday, with all members of Congress supporting the bid to release links to the Wuhan lab and documents about the virus’s origins.
The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk after the Senate passed it earlier this month, and Republicans have demanded he sign it to get clarity on what happened.
President Joe Biden said Friday afternoon that he has not yet made a decision on whether to sign a bill that would release all of the information the government has about the origins of COVID-19.
The House voted unanimously for the Biden administration to release all information related to the origins of COVID — including documents about the investigation into whether it leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (above)
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would “look at” the bill, but would not confirm whether he will sign it when asked at her briefing.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would “look at” the bill, but would not confirm whether he will sign it when asked at her briefing.
The bipartisan vote comes two weeks after a report from the Department of Energy said COVID was likely leaked from an accidental lab leak in China.
It would require the director of national intelligence to release all information about the release of “any information regarding possible links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus disease.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also said on March 1 that the agency believes the virus most likely came from a lab accident.
The rest of the US government is divided on theories about the origins of the pandemic that led to the lockdowns and restrictions.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s COVID adviser who retired from the government last year, has said he still believes it was likely a natural occurrence.
However, he has maintained that he still has an “open mind” about the theories and that the origins may not be known for years, if ever.
He was under constant scrutiny and earlier this week was accused of shutting out experts who supported the lab leak theory because they didn’t fit his “story.”
In an interview on Fox News on Thursday, Fauci denied the allegations.
The vote passed 419-0 on Friday, with all congressmen supporting the bid to release links to the Wuhan lab and documents about the virus’s beginnings
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s COVID adviser who retired from the government last year, has said he still believes it was likely a natural occurrence
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced the bill, saying its passage was the first step toward finally holding China accountable.
“Today the House passed my bill on the origins of COVID with bipartisan support and sent it to the office of the president,” Hawley said.
“This is a great first step in holding China accountable for this crisis, and I urge President Biden to sign it immediately. The American people deserve to know the truth.”
Experts say the true origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than 1 million Americans, will be known for many years — if not ever.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy,” Connecticut Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, said during the debate.