President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at halting federal funding for dangerous biological research overseas, with a specific focus on China and other countries deemed to lack sufficient safety standards.
The order suspends current and future U.S. funding for gain-of-function research, a controversial method that alters viruses to study their potential impacts in countries of concern such as China and Iran.
The directive comes amid renewed scrutiny over the origins of COVID-19 and long-standing concerns about biosecurity in foreign labs.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to improve the safety and security of biological research in the United States and around the world,” the White House said in a statement.
Trump on Biological Research Projects
The measure empowers federal research agencies to cut funding to any biological research project that could pose a threat to public health or national security, including work that may lead to another pandemic.
It specifically referenced projects involving bat coronaviruses conducted by the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the U.S.-based Eco Health Alliance, which have been central to theories about the lab origin of COVID-19.
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Additionally, the Trump administration argued that past oversight of such research, particularly under President Joe Biden, had been inadequate, citing policies that rely on self-reporting and lack enforceable safety mechanisms.
Other Biological Research Bans
In addition to the overseas funding ban, the order pauses certain high-risk biological research in the U.S. involving infectious pathogens and toxins.
The White House said the suspension will remain in effect until a more stringent and transparent oversight framework is developed.
Trump directed the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council to work with federal agencies to draft a new policy within 120 days.
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The order includes new enforcement and reporting requirements, which the administration says are designed to prevent misuse and avoid the loopholes researchers have allegedly exploited in the past.
Origin of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China
“President Trump is driving us into the Golden Age of American Innovation that will lead us to a safer, healthier, and more prosperous America,” the statement added.
While the order targets risky virus research, it stops short of restricting broader biotechnology initiatives.
The White House emphasised that the move would not hinder American innovation or preparedness against biological threats.
Trump has long suggested that COVID-19 may have originated from a lab accident in Wuhan, China, and has repeatedly criticised U.S. funding of foreign research without stringent oversight.
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