HHS has officially barred EcoHealth Alliance and its former president from receiving federal funds, drawing praise from top lawmakers who say the move delivers overdue accountability.
Key Facts:
• The Department of Health and Human Services debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and Dr. Peter Daszak for five years.
• EcoHealth allegedly failed to report risky gain-of-function experiments to federal authorities.
• House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., applauded this step as “justice for the American people.”
• A May 2025 Subcommittee report found “significant evidence” of repeated violations of the terms of a National Institutes of Health grant.
• EcoHealth reportedly received nearly $100 million in federal funding since 2008.
The Rest of The Story:
The Department of Health and Human Services announced it will bar EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former president, Dr. Peter Daszak, from receiving federal funding for the next five years.
Officials say EcoHealth failed to disclose gain-of-function research activities, which involve enhancing pathogens for study.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer cheered the decision, stating it punishes “bad actor” EcoHealth and its “corrupt former president.”
In May 2025, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released an interim report describing poor oversight and mishandling of grant procedures tied to gain-of-function research in China.
The committee specifically accused Daszak of breaking multiple grant requirements and failing to submit an annual research update on time.
The subcommittee then recommended blocking EcoHealth and Daszak from receiving any further federal support.
Committee member Brad Wenstrup, R-Oh., laid out strong words in a May 2024 memo, saying Daszak’s organization “conducted dangerous gain-of-function research at the [Wuhan Institute of Virology]” and “willfully violated the terms of a multi-million-dollar NIH grant.”
He claimed these actions threatened U.S. national security.
The government’s ban is scheduled to end in mid-May 2029 for EcoHealth and about a week later for Daszak.
Fox News found EcoHealth was awarded nearly $100 million from the U.S. government since 2008 through grants, contracts, loans, and other funding sources.
ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE & PETER DASZAK DEBARRED FOR 5 YEARS FOR FACILITATING GAIN OF FUNCTION RESEARCH IN WUHAN
HHS has cut off all funding and formally debarred EcoHealth Alliance & its former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, for five years based on evidence uncovered by COVID Select… pic.twitter.com/UqdxAsXDbN— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) January 18, 2025
That figure, combined with the recent findings, has raised questions about how effectively taxpayer dollars are tracked and used.
The Bottom Line:
Many lawmakers see this debarment as a necessary step to safeguard taxpayers and hold grant recipients accountable.
READ NEXT: Afraid to Face the Backlash? State Farm Cancels Scheduled Super Bowl Commercial
EcoHealth stands accused of serious breaches, prompting a rare federal move to block future funding.