[House Report 117-620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress   }                                      {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                      {      117-620

======================================================================

 
  RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT TO TRANSMIT CERTAIN 
DOCUMENTS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RELATING TO THE INVESTIGATION 
  BY THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INTO THE ORIGINS OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS

                                _______
                                

 December 13, 2022.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Schiff, from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                             MINORITY VIEWS

                      [To accompany H. Res. 1466]

    The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to whom was 
referred the resolution (H. Res. 1466) of inquiry requesting 
the President to transmit certain documents to the House of 
Representatives relating to the investigation by the 
intelligence community into the origins of the COVID-19 virus, 
having considered the same, reports thereon without amendment 
and without recommendation.

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    H. Res. 1466 requests the President to transmit certain 
documents to the House of Representatives relating to the 
investigation by the intelligence community into the origins of 
the COVID-19 virus.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, the virus 
has been responsible for the deaths of over 6.6 million people 
around the world, including nearly 1.1 million people in the 
United States.
    In March 2021, President Biden tasked the Intelligence 
Community (IC) to prepare a report on its most up-to-date 
analysis of the origins of COVID-19, including whether it 
emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a 
laboratory-associated incident.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\See Statement by President Joe Biden on the Investigation into 
the Origins of COVID-19 (May 26, 2021), available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/26/
statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-the-investigation-into-the-origins-
of-covid-19/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In May 2021, after receiving that initial IC report, which 
did not reach a definitive conclusion on the question of COVID-
19's origins, the President asked the IC ``to redouble their 
efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us 
closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 
90 days.''\2\ The President received this updated classified 
report in August 2021.\3\ This Committee also received that 
classified report, along with an unclassified summary of the 
report's key judgments.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\See id.
    \3\See Statement by President Joe Biden on the Investigation into 
the Origins of COVID-19 (August 27, 2021), available at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/27/
statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-the-investigation-into-the-origins-
of-covid-%E2%81%A019/.
    \4\The unclassified summary is available at https://www.dni.gov/
files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Unclassified-Summary-of-Assessment-on-
COVID-19-Origins.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Upon receiving the updated classified report and 
unclassified summary, Chairman Schiff stated as follows:
    I appreciate the comprehensive analysis the Intelligence 
Community has undertaken on the origins of the COVID-19 
pandemic at the direction of President Biden. Determining the 
source of the pandemic, including whether it originated from 
animal to human transmission or a lab accident, is critically 
important. As the unclassified report indicates, the 
Intelligence Community has not been able to reach a high-
confidence assessment about the origins of the virus. It is 
important that we allow analysts, along with medical and 
scientific experts, to conduct their work professionally and 
without bias or politicization.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\See Chairman Schiff Statement on COVID-19 Origins Report (August 
27, 2021), available at https://intelligence.house.gov/news/
documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1154.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chairman Schiff also stated: ``What is clear is that 
China's continued obstruction of a transparent, comprehensive 
examination of the relevant facts and data remains the single 
greatest impediment to determining the source of the virus. 
This stonewalling approach is unacceptable and delays the vital 
work necessary to prevent the next potential pandemic.''\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\See id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    On September 23, 2021, the Committee held a classified 
Member briefing on the intelligence regarding the origins of 
COVID-19 and how that intelligence informed the IC's updated 
report. This Member briefing supplemented multiple briefings 
that Committee staff, on a bipartisan basis, requested and 
received from IC analysts on this topic throughout 2021. In 
October 2021, the Director of National Intelligence, through 
the National Intelligence Council, released a longer, 
unclassified assessment regarding the possible origins of 
COVID-19.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\That assessment is available at https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/
documents/assessments/Declassified-Assessment-on-COVID-19-Origins.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Trying to prevent and prepare for the next pandemic is a 
vital national security objective, and understanding the 
origins of the COVID-19 pandemic is an important component of 
achieving that objective. Most notably, the U.S. will have more 
leverage to demand changes by China if we can point to one 
clear origin. At the same time, wherever this pandemic came 
from, the next pandemic could come from either natural 
transmission or a lab-related incident. It is clear that China, 
as well as other nations, must make major changes to reduce the 
likelihood of both a future animal-to-human transmission and a 
future lab accident.
    The Committee has conducted vigorous oversight of the IC's 
assessments of the origins of COVID-19, and strongly supports 
continued oversight. Given the stakes involved, it is critical 
that this oversight be conducted without bias and without 
politicization, designed only to discover the truth.
    For the foregoing reasons, the Committee voted to report H. 
Res. 1466 without recommendation.

                           COMMITTEE HEARINGS

    The Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has not held 
hearings on the legislation.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    H. Res. 1466 was introduced on November 14, 2022 by Ranking 
Member Turner (R-OH) and was referred to the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence. On December 7, 2022, the Committee 
met in open markup session and ordered H. Res. 1466, without 
amendment, reported without recommendation to the House by 
voice vote.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 2(b)(1) 
of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
oversight findings and recommendations of the Committee are 
reflected in the descriptive portion of the report.

          NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

                              EXPENDITURES

    Pursuant to 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its own the 
estimate of new budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax 
expenditures or revenues contained in the cost estimate 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974.
    The Committee has requested but not received from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office a statement as to 
whether this bill contains any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee will adopt as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

         STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general 
performance goal or objective of this legislation is to request 
the President to transmit certain documents to the House of 
Representatives relating to the investigation by the 
intelligence community into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.

                    DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, no provision of H. 
Res. 1466 is known to be duplicative of another Federal 
program, including any program that was included in a report to 
Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the 
most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

                        COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee will 
adopt as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

      EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF BENEFITS

    Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the 
Committee finds that H. Res. 1466 contains no earmarks, limited 
tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committee within the meaning of section 5(b) of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act is created by this 
legislation.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

             SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

    H. Res. 1466 requests the President to transmit to the 
House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date 
of the adoption of this resolution, copies of all documents 
(including records, memos, correspondence, and other 
communications), to the extent that any such one or more items 
are within the possession of the President and refer or relate 
to the investigation by the intelligence community into the 
origins of the COVID-19 virus.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    There are no changes to existing law made by H. Res. 1466.

                             MINORITY VIEWS

    The Republicans of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence are encouraged that Democrats support the critical 
oversight responsibilities of this Committee and their decision 
to report this resolution to the House. This resolution is 
necessary to facilitate this Committee's oversight 
responsibilities because the Intelligence Community (IC) has 
repeatedly ignored Member requests for information, including 
Congressionally Directed Actions and statutory provisions from 
the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Intelligence Authorization Act.
    Specifically, House Resolution 1466 requests that the 
President transmit documents to the House related to the IC's 
investigation into the origins of COVID-19. In May 2021, 
President Biden tasked the IC to conduct this review. The IC 
has inadequately briefed the Committee on its findings and has 
refused to answer certain questions that have been asked, 
including the IC's use and dependence on outside experts and 
the composition of the Biologic Science Experts Group. To date, 
Committee Republicans have sent 27 letters to IC Element heads 
requesting information related to the IC's review of COVID 
origins. Additionally, in the enacted FY 2022 IAA, funds were 
fenced from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 
until they provided a listing of outside experts who 
contributed to their analytic products.
    As a result of the IC not providing the information that 
has been requested by this Committee and mandated by Congress, 
it is the prerogative of the House to request such information 
from the President in order to fulfill its Article I oversight 
responsibilities.

                                   Michael R. Turner,
                                           Ranking Member.

                                  [all]