Bowling Green Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has sent a letter to Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III requesting additional information on the DoD’s failure to track the usage of taxpayer funding for risky virus research in China and other foreign countries.

Dr. Paul’s letter references a recent report by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG) titled “Management Advisory: Review of DoD Funds Provided to the People’s Republic of China and Associated Affiliates for Research Activities or Any Foreign Countries for the Enhancement of Pathogens of Pandemic Potential.” This report was requested by Congress to better understand how DoD spent American taxpayer dollars on risky virus research in foreign countries.

The OIG report determined that the DoD did not track funding in sufficient detail and could not effectively search award systems to determine if funds went to Chinese research laboratories or other foreign countries for pandemic pathogen enhancement. As a result, Dr. Paul requested that the DoD provide unredacted copies of all documents and records related to Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs awards, subawards, or fee-for-service agreements referenced in the OIG report involving pathogen enhancement.

In his letter, Dr. Paul wrote: "I write to request additional information regarding the recently released Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report titled 'Management Advisory: Review of DoD Funds Provided to the People’s Republic of China and Associated Affiliates for Research Activities or Any Foreign Countries for the Enhancement of Pathogens of Pandemic Potential.' Congress directed OIG to issue this report in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 in order to better understand how DoD spent American taxpayer dollars for risky virus research in China and other foreign countries."

According to Dr. Paul, "OIG was unable to fully assess the use of DoD funds for pathogen research because DoD components were unable to produce a complete population of pathogen research grants and subawards." He further stated that "DoD did not track funding at the level necessary" and "could not effectively search award systems" related to such research performed by China and other foreign countries.

Expressing his concern over these findings, Dr. Paul noted: "It is unacceptable that DoD cannot account for the full extent of taxpayer funding it has spent on pandemic pathogen research at Chinese research laboratories." He added that this lack of oversight represents a significant gap in national security and undermines public trust in the DoD.

Dr. Paul's letter concludes with a request for unredacted copies by July 16, 2024, including documents related both involving and not involving pathogen enhancement as well as records from an OIG questionnaire about DoD funding linked with China.