Political Quotes

“Here is the bottom line: We have EcoHealth that breaches their contract. While they may be working on some wildlife things--and having once been a pole holder on a mission with a team of British scientists to study bats in northern Burma, I am all for studying wildlife, but we have to make sure that those people who get American taxpayer dollars are living up to their contract, living up to their obligations to give us the information so that if something happens, we can make appropriate decisions. Whether you believe it was a lab leak or whether you believe it came out of bats, we needed the information that we paid for, to try to make a better decision. They haven't followed through. As of this date, they haven't given us the information that we need for oversight. Hopefully, it will come forward, but until we establish that EcoHealth Alliance understands that if they are going to use taxpayer dollars to do research, we need to get the information we contracted to get, I think that we should not be granting them awards. I did leave the waiver in, that was very important to me because if it is in the national security interest, I wanted to make sure we weren't taking that power away from the Secretary, but I don't think at this moment in history, we should be funding EcoHealth Alliance with any taxpayer dollars. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.…”