Republican Senator Joni Ernst is urging for an extensive audit of the Department of Defense (DoD) to investigate the amount of funding that has been allocated to Chinese research laboratories. This includes a specific focus on the work being done in the field of advanced artificial intelligence, which was recently brought to light by Newsweek.
The Office of the Inspector General conducted an audit following a letter written by Mike Gallagher, an Iowa lawmaker and former Wisconsin Representative, on January 25. In the letter, Gallagher requested information from the Department of Defense (DoD) regarding any funding given to the People’s Republic of China or its affiliates for research activities that align with the reporting requirement of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This encompassed funding for COVID-19 research.
Lawmakers in January demanded answers from the Department of Defense (DoD) following a Newsweek investigation that revealed a prominent Chinese AI scientist had received over $30 million in grants from the United States, including funding from the Pentagon.
In an interview with Newsweek on Wednesday, Senator Ernst expressed her concern regarding the Department of Defense’s allocation of resources. According to her, the department should prioritize defending the nation rather than funding research that could potentially harm the United States. She emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, stating that American taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going. Senator Ernst has initiated an investigation to trace every dollar sent overseas and ensure that a comprehensive inventory of potentially risky investments is provided.
The IG’s response to the lawmakers states that they will conduct an audit to assess how the DoD distributed federal funds between 2014 and 2023. The audit will investigate whether funds were granted directly or indirectly to Chinese research labs or used to support research and experiments in China or other foreign countries aimed at enhancing potentially pandemic-causing pathogens.
Ernst has conducted investigations into various U.S. government agencies in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these investigations involved requesting the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to examine EcoHealth Alliance, a New York nonprofit organization that received grant funding to collaborate with the WIV in studying bat coronaviruses. This collaboration was approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the leadership of Dr. Anthony Fauci.
According to federal open data source USA Spending, the Pentagon has provided EcoHealth Alliance with more than $47 million since 2008.
According to Ernst, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the IG published a report in January 2023. The report highlighted that EcoHealth failed to ensure compliance with Federal requirements regarding subawards. It also revealed that EcoHealth did not adequately monitor and report on subrecipient activities. Additionally, EcoHealth was found to be non-compliant with certain public disclosure requirements related to reporting subaward funding.
The report revealed that EcoHealth, at times, failed to comply with Federal requirements in the utilization of its grant funds. This led to $89,171 in costs that were deemed unallowable. These shortcomings were a result of the lack of adherence to established policies and procedures by both NIH and EcoHealth.
In January, the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) were questioned by two House committees and three subcommittees regarding their lack of attention towards the “concerning signs” surrounding Chinese-born scientist Song-Chun Zhu. According to Newsweek, Zhu had received more than $30 million in U.S. grants for his research on AI with potential military implications.
Lawmakers in the United States have expressed concerns about Chinese scientific research that could potentially pose risks to the country.
According to Ernst, it is unlikely that we will ever receive any definitive answers about the true events that took place in Wuhan from individuals such as Dr. Fauci, EcoHealth, or China. However, this investigation provides us with the opportunity to identify potential origins of another artificially created pandemic, and ultimately take measures to prevent such an occurrence.
“With increasing evidence surfacing that our adversaries are benefitting from our own tax dollars, it becomes evident that we must prioritize transparency and accountability in understanding how, why, and most importantly, where our money is being allocated.”
Gallagher, the former chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, stepped down from his position in the House over the weekend.