Washington Bans Funding for Virus Research Due to Its Alleged Role in the Spread of COVID-19

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday banning federal funding for research that studies how viruses acquire new traits that make them more dangerous.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, a White House official stated during the signing of the document in the Oval Office that some studies may have played a role in the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that the decision provides strong tools to prevent funding for such research outside the United States, in addition to strengthening oversight mechanisms to ensure biomedical research is conducted safely.

Trump stressed the importance of the decision, noting that had it been implemented earlier, the pandemic might have been avoided. A White House source reported that the document targets research in countries such as China and Iran and aims to reduce risks associated with laboratory incidents, including those allegedly occurring at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

In a related context, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed, without providing evidence, that countries like China and Russia are developing biological weapons using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and CRISPR gene editing. He warned of a global biological arms race.

On the other hand, Chinese authorities rejected these allegations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated last April that the White House’s attempt to politicize the issue of the emergence of a new coronavirus variant is unacceptable.