Providing for Consideration of H.R. Pfas Action Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Consumer Protection and Recovery Act; and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Averting Loss of Life and Injury By Expediting Sivs Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Burgess for yielding and Dr. Wenstrup for leading this effort.
If the previous question is defeated, we will amend the rule to immediately consider S. 1867, the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021. This legislation, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent, is simple. If passed, the bill would require the Biden administration's Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence information related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology, also known as the Wuhan lab, and the origins of COVID-19 in order to better prepare for and avoid future pandemics.
Let's remember the devastating effect that this pandemic has had in this country with over 600,000 deaths and 4 million deaths worldwide.
In May, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released an interim report outlining the growing evidence of a possible lab leak of the COVID-19 virus.
Here are the facts. Number one, we know, based on numerous reports, that the researchers at the Wuhan lab fell sick with COVID-related symptoms in the fall of 2019. Number two, we also know that there was active engagement by the Chinese military at the Wuhan lab. And, number three, we know that the Chinese Government has continued to hinder efforts for data collection and transparency in this investigation. Essentially, Mr. Speaker, they have been nontransparent and noncooperative.
The bottom line is, the American people deserve a full accounting of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in shutting down our economy, massive deaths across the world, and millions out of work.
Mr. Speaker, how can we prevent a future pandemic if we don't know the genesis of this one?
This vote today will help answer those questions and get to the origins of the pandemic. I am proud to join my friend, Congressman Wenstrup, in this effort for transparency, and I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question.
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