[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3488-S3489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COVID-19 ORIGIN ACT OF 2021

  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, we are here tonight for a very simple 
reason with a very simple proposition--that the American people deserve 
to know about the origins of COVID-19. They deserve to know how this 
terrible pandemic that has ravaged the globe and our country, how it 
got started and what China's role was in starting it.
  Now, we have seen a parade of government officials speculate about 
the origins in one place or another. And there is increasing 
speculation and, indeed, increasing numbers of statements from 
government officials saying that perhaps this virus originated in a 
Chinese lab, in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
  Well, I think it is time that the American people got to decide for 
themselves. It is time that they actually got to see the evidence that 
the U.S. Government has collected on this issue, and that is exactly 
what the measure that we are introducing here tonight would do. It 
would make available to the American people the evidence that the U.S. 
Government has about the origins of this terrible virus and this 
terrible pandemic.
  I am proud to be joined in this effort by Senator Braun, and I know 
that he would like to make a few remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.
  Mr. BRAUN. Thank you, Senator Hawley.
  This was an easy one. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal gave 
us some news. We have had a cascade of others weighing in now, where 
this is maybe an epiphany that some have had that we need to look 
further into the roots.
  Look at what our country has gone through. It has been a year and a 
quarter, and it has ravaged not only the United States but the world. 
And why, for the sake of simple transparency, wouldn't we want to get 
to the root cause of it?
  The World Health Organization made an attempt at it. It was not 
effective. It looked to me like it was apologizing for what might have 
occurred in China.
  President Biden finally has said that we need to put more light and 
attention on this. So thank goodness, for whatever the reason, we are 
going to get to the bottom of it. When it has caused this much grief 
across our country and across the world, it needs to be done.
  The intelligence communities in our own country are storing 
information that needs to be revealed to the American public. It needs 
to be revealed to anyone who can look at it to make sense out of what 
has happened.
  So our bill is very simple.
  Since I have been in the Senate, whether it is weighing in on issues 
of healthcare, national security, COVID-19--who disagrees with 
transparency, the sunshine that reveals everything?
  I was in a committee hearing. And when you get the two individuals 
whom we have relied on mostly in this whole journey, Dr. Fauci and Dr. 
Collins, first acknowledging that transparency is paramount, and that, 
yes, we should declassify this information, and when we have listened 
to them help navigate us through this tricky journey, and they tell us 
earlier today, ``Give us the information,'' I think that is why here, 
this evening, this will go through with unanimous consent, because it 
makes sense.
  And wherever it leads us, we should be happy that we finally might 
get to the bottom of this--whatever it reveals. We don't know where it 
will take us. It is relying on what is most important--on the 
information we housed. Let's make sure the American public can see it 
and that any group that wants to analyze what happened can, including 
the rest of the world.
  So it was easy for me to get onboard, to get behind something so 
simple that says nothing more than if we got the information, let's 
show it. Let's not hide behind it. And when you get individuals like 
Dr. Fauci, Dr. Collins, the director now of the WHO, something is 
afoot, and we need to find out.
  I am glad that we are here this evening punctuating this so that we 
get it done.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, the American people can be trusted with 
the truth. More than that, the American people deserve the truth.
  They deserve to know the true origins of this virus. They deserve to 
be able to evaluate the evidence for themselves. They deserve it. Their 
government owes it to them, and it is time to act.
  And the American people deserve something else. They deserve to have 
this government hold accountable that nation which started this virus, 
whose lies about this virus turned it into a global pandemic, whose 
lies about this virus prevented our country and many others from being 
able to address it effectively in time. Of course, I am talking about 
China. The American people deserve to have all of the evidence and 
deserve to have this government's full effort and the effort of our 
allies and partners in holding accountable China for what it has done, 
not just to this country but to the world, and to make sure that 
something like this never happens again.
  So, Mr. President, I ask now unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1867, which is at desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1867) to require the Director of National 
     Intelligence to declassify information relating to the origin 
     of COVID-19, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. HAWLEY. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read 
a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 1867) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows

                                S. 1867

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``COVID-19 Origin Act of 
     2021''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Department of State released a fact sheet on 
     January 15, 2021, about the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) 
     which stated the following:
       (A) ``The U.S. government has reason to believe that 
     several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 
     2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with 
     symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal 
     illnesses.''.
       (B) ``WIV researchers conducted experiments involving 
     RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 
     2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2.''.
       (C) ``Despite the WIV presenting itself as a civilian 
     institution, the United States has determined that the WIV 
     has collaborated on publications and secret projects with 
     China's military.''.
       (2) Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, Robert Redfield, stated in March 2021 that, ``the 
     most likely etiology of this pathogen in Wuhan was from a 
     laboratory'' and noted that, ``[i]t is not unusual for 
     respiratory pathogens that are being worked on in a 
     laboratory to infect the laboratory worker.''.
       (3) Director-General of the World Health Organization 
     Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged in March 2021 that 
     the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may have originated 
     in a laboratory and said this hypothesis ``requires further 
     investigation, potentially with additional missions involving 
     specialist experts.''.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) identifying the origin of Coronavirus Disease 2019 
     (COVID-19) is critical for preventing a similar pandemic from 
     occurring in the future;

[[Page S3489]]

       (2) there is reason to believe the COVID-19 pandemic may 
     have originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; and
       (3) the Director of National Intelligence should declassify 
     and make available to the public as much information as 
     possible about the origin of COVID-19 so the United States 
     and like-minded countries can--
       (A) identify the origin of COVID-19 as expeditiously as 
     possible, and
       (B) use that information to take all appropriate measures 
     to prevent a similar pandemic from occurring again.

     SEC. 4. DECLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE ORIGIN 
                   OF COVID-19.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall--
       (1) declassify any and all information relating to 
     potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and 
     the origin of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), 
     including--
       (A) activities performed by the Wuhan Institute of Virology 
     with or on behalf of the People's Liberation Army;
       (B) coronavirus research or other related activities 
     performed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the 
     outbreak of COVID-19; and
       (C) researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology who fell 
     ill in autumn 2019, including for any such researcher--
       (i) the researcher's name;
       (ii) the researcher's symptoms;
       (iii) the date of the onset of the researcher's symptoms;
       (iv) the researcher's role at the Wuhan Institute of 
     Virology;
       (v) whether the researcher was involved with or exposed to 
     coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology;
       (vi) whether the researcher visited a hospital while they 
     were ill; and
       (vii) a description of any other actions taken by the 
     researcher that may suggest they were experiencing a serious 
     illness at the time; and
       (2) submit to Congress an unclassified report that 
     contains--
       (A) all of the information described under paragraph (1); 
     and
       (B) only such redactions as the Director determines 
     necessary to protect sources and methods.

  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I thank the Senate for this action 
tonight.
  This is, as Senator Braun said, an important first step. It is only a 
first step, but the truth is always the right step, and that is the 
action that we have taken tonight.
  I yield the floor.


                           Order of Business

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in 
order to call up the following amendments: Lee, No. 1929; Coons, No. 
1588; Braun, No. 1771; Marshall, No. 1973, as modified; and Sasse, No. 
2023; further, that at 9:15 p.m. today, the Senate vote in relation to 
the amendments in the order listed with no amendments in order to these 
amendments prior to a vote in relation to the amendment, with 60 
affirmative votes required for adoption and 2 minutes of debate, 
equally divided, prior to each vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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