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The Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released the findings of its two-year investigation into the origins of COVID-19 on Monday, concluding that the virus "most likely" originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The report also sharply criticized the Biden administration, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and left-wing organizations for their responses to the pandemic.

The subcommittee’s 520-page report, which includes nine Republicans and seven Democrats, suggests that COVID-19 was leaked from a Chinese laboratory due to several factors. Among them is the virus' "biological characteristic," which the report claims is not typically found in nature. The subcommittee also highlighted that all COVID-19 cases seem to trace back to a single human transmission, diverging from the multiple "spillover events" observed in other pandemics.

Wuhan, home to China’s top Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) research lab, has been central to the investigation. The report notes that the laboratory has a history of conducting risky "gain-of-function" research, which involves making pathogens more transmissible in order to study them, albeit under unsafe biosafety conditions. The subcommittee further points to evidence that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were sick with a COVID-like virus in the fall of 2019—months before the virus was officially detected at a nearby market.

The report casts doubt on the theory of a natural origin for the virus, stating that "by nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin, it would have already surfaced."

In addition to questioning the virus’ origins, the report takes aim at several liberal-leaning organizations and public health initiatives. The World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biden administration were criticized for their handling of the pandemic, with particular reproach directed at Fauci, the former director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci is accused of working to discredit the lab-leak theory and obstruct the investigation. The report also criticizes public health measures, including mask mandates and social distancing guidelines, for lacking scientific backing.

Conversely, the report praises former President Donald Trump's travel restrictions, suggesting they saved lives, despite accusations that they were xenophobic in nature.

The report also delves into NIH’s funding and oversight procedures, describing them as deficient and a serious threat to public health and national security. It claims that NIH fostered an environment that encouraged evading federal recordkeeping laws in the lead-up to the pandemic.

Additionally, the report claims that EcoHealth Alliance Inc., led by Dr. Peter Daszak, used U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan, violating the terms of its NIH grant. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suspended funding to EcoHealth, and the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the organization’s activities during the pandemic.

The report also criticizes federal and state COVID-19 relief programs, citing instances of fraud. It claims that the Paycheck Protection Program resulted in $64 billion in fraudulent claims, though this figure is attributed to an op-ed by an FBI special agent rather than an official government source. The report also estimates that fraudulent unemployment claims cost $191 billion, with lapses in oversight costing $200 million.

This investigation, which began in February 2023, involved more than 100 investigative letters, numerous interviews, and over a million pages of documents. The subcommittee aims to provide a roadmap for lawmakers and leaders to better prepare for future pandemics.

In a letter to Congress, subcommittee chairman Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) called for continued efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness. A final markup of the report is scheduled for December 4 before its official submission to the Congressional record.