WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted unanimously to declassify information about the origins of COVID-19, a stark confirmation of bipartisan support on the third anniversary of the deadly pandemic.
The bill, approved by 419 votes in favor (no one voted against) will be sent to President Joe Biden for signature.
The debate was short and direct. Their message was that Americans are wondering where the deadly virus came from and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.
“The American public deserves answers on all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Republican Michael Turner, head of the House Intelligence Committee.
This includes questions about “how this virus was created and, in particular, whether it was a natural occurrence or the result of laboratory activity,” he said. These include in particular research and other activities in laboratories and cases of illness among scientists.
The declassification request relates specifically to information relating to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. The document indicates a “potential link” between the research being conducted there and the outbreak of COVID-19, which the WHO declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
US intelligence agencies are split on whether the virus was knocked down in the lab or jumped from animals to humans.
Experts say the truth about the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of more than a million Americans, will be best known many years from now and could remain a mystery forever.
“Transparency is the cornerstone of our democracy,” Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said during the debate.
Earlier this week a House Select Committee held a hearing on theories about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill, introduced by Republican Senator Josh Hawley, has already been approved by the US Senate.
If signed by Biden, “any information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus disease” must be declassified within 90 days, the document says.
