After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward - PART 1

Below is a comprehensive outline of the Congressional COVID Select Committee's final report.

This outline covers sections 1 through 6.

PDF Version of the Outline - Part 1

The Origins of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Including but Not Limited to the Federal Government's Funding of Gain-of-Function Research

I. The Unknown Origins of COVID-19

A. SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that Causes COVID-19, Likely Emerged Because of a Laboratory or Research Related Accident

• FINDING: SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged due to a laboratory or research-related accident

• Evidence from U.S. government agencies, senior intelligence officials, and scientists increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis

  • State Department Fact Sheet in January 2021 noted:

    • Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) became sick in autumn 2019 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

    • WIV has a published record of conducting gain-of-function research to engineer chimeric viruses

    • WIV collaborated on publications and secret projects with China's military since at least 2017

  • DOE and FBI assessed COVID-19 likely resulted from a lab incident

  • Dr. Redfield, former CDC Director, believes COVID-19 more likely resulted from an accidental lab leak than a natural spillover

  • Mr. Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, stated the lab leak theory is the only explanation credibly supported by intelligence

  • Mr. Wade, former New York Times science editor, noted SARS-CoV-2's furin cleavage site is a feature never before seen in the SARS virus family

  • Dr. Chan outlined 5 key points supporting the lab leak scenario as more plausible than natural origin

    • COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, home to China's foremost SARS-like virus research lab

    • EcoHealth/WIV proposed creating a virus with SARS-CoV-2's defining features in 2018

    • WIV conducted this risky research under low biosafety conditions

    • Evidence for natural origin at the Huanan Seafood Market is tenuous

    • Key evidence expected for natural origin is still missing

• Former British PM Boris Johnson and Biden administration official Dr. Jha also expressed belief in the lab leak theory

B. "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2" Was "Prompted" by Dr. Fauci to "Disprove" the Lab Leak Theory

• FINDING: "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2" was "prompted" by Dr. Fauci to "disprove" the lab leak theory

• On February 16, 2020, Dr. Andersen et al. posted "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2" which concluded SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct

• Dr. Andersen stated the paper was "prompted" by Dr. Fauci, Dr. Collins, and Dr. Farrar

• Dr. Andersen testified Dr. Fauci suggested on January 31, 2020 that if he believed the virus came from a lab, he should write a peer-reviewed paper on it

• The authors of Proximal Origin were aware of the paper's influence and potential to "disprove the lab leak theory"

• The paper's arguments regarding the receptor-binding domain and furin cleavage site did not definitively rule out a lab origin

• Dr. Fauci cited Proximal Origin from the White House podium, despite possibly not having read it

II. The Failures of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.

A. EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. Facilitated Gain-of-Function Research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology

• What is Gain-of-Function Research?

  • Broad definition: Research that modifies a biological agent to confer new or enhanced activity

  • Narrower definition: Research that may enhance the transmissibility and/or virulence of a potential pandemic pathogen (PPP)

  • EcoHealth's research published in its Year 5 Report involved creating chimeric viruses that grew more pathogenic in mice, meeting the broad definition of gain-of-function

• The research in EcoHealth's Year 5 Report should have triggered immediate reporting to NIH per the grant terms, but it was not reported

B. EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. Submitted its Year 5 Annual Progress Report Nearly Two Years Late

• EcoHealth's Year 5 Report was due September 28, 2019 but was not submitted until August 3, 2021

• Dr. Daszak did not continue his prior practice of emailing the report directly to the NIAID program officer

• NIH's forensic analysis found no evidence EcoHealth was "locked out" of the reporting system as claimed

C. EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. Failed to Timely Report a Dangerous Experiment to the U.S. National Institutes of Health

• EcoHealth was required to monitor its subrecipient (WIV) and report any experiments exhibiting greater than 1 log growth

• An experiment in EcoHealth's Year 5 Report showed a chimeric virus grew more pathogenic, exceeding this 1 log threshold, but it was not immediately reported

D. EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. Failed to Provide the U.S. National Institutes of Health with Research the U.S. Taxpayer Funded

• NIH requested EcoHealth provide the original laboratory notebooks to verify the experiments, but EcoHealth failed to do so

• NIH witnesses testified EcoHealth was required to provide the notebooks, which it should have had access to

E. To Get a Grant Reinstated, EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. Misled the U.S. National Institutes of Health Regarding the Physical Locations of U.S. Funded Samples

• A key reason for reinstating EcoHealth's grant was access to bat samples and sequences previously paid for by the U.S. government

• Dr. Daszak failed to inform NIH that a substantial number of these samples/sequences were still under the custody of the debarred WIV

• This omission may have affected NIH's decision to reinstate the grant

F. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Rejected EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.'s DEFUSE Proposal Because of a Lack of Gain-of-Function or Dual Use Research of Concern Plan

• DARPA's PREEMPT program solicited proposals to target viral threats in animal reservoirs

• EcoHealth's DEFUSE proposal involved creating chimeric viruses with enhanced features like a furin cleavage site

• DARPA rejected DEFUSE due to lack of a gain-of-function or dual-use research of concern plan, contradicting Dr. Daszak's testimony

G. The Department of Justice Empaneled a Criminal Grand Jury to Investigate the Origins of COVID-19

• DOJ subpoenaed EcoHealth's communications with Dr. Shi at the WIV, including her personal email, indicating an investigation into EcoHealth's role

III. The Failures of the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

A. The U.S. National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Failed to Oversee EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.

• NIH and NIAID leadership, including Dr. Fauci, approved grants with limited review

• The Trump administration identified issues with EcoHealth's grant and instructed NIH to terminate it

• NIH career officials, including Dr. Lauer, agreed with and executed the enforcement actions against EcoHealth

B. Dr. Anthony Fauci Played Semantics with the Definition of Gain-of-Function Research

• Dr. Fauci denied NIH funded gain-of-function research at the WIV, based on a narrow definition of the term

• The research described in EcoHealth's Year 5 Report met the broad, established definition of gain-of-function at the time

C. The U.S. National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Granted U.S. Taxpayer Funds to the Chinese People's Liberation Army

• Documents showed NIH grants included collaborators who were known CCP members and PLA officers

D. Senior National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Leadership Fostered an Environment That Promoted Evading the Freedom of Information Act

• NIAID officials, including Mr. Folkers and Dr. Morens, intentionally misspelled key terms to make emails harder to find via FOIA requests

E. A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Freedom of Information Act Official Apparently Aided Others in Efforts to Evade the Freedom of Information Act

• Dr. Morens claimed Ms. Moore, the NIAID FOIA officer, taught him tactics to "make emails disappear" after FOIA requests

The Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Transparency of the Use of Taxpayer Funds and Relief Programs to Address the Coronavirus Pandemic, Including Any Reports of Waste, Fraud, or Abuse

I. The Paycheck Protection Program

A. The Paycheck Protection Program Was Rife with Fraudulent Claims Resulting in at Least $64 Billion of Taxpayers' Dollars Lost to Fraudsters and Criminals

• PPP was susceptible to fraud due to rapid implementation and reliance on self-verification by applicants

• Common fraud included inflating payroll costs, misrepresenting employees, and diverting funds for personal use

B. The U.S. Small Business Administration Did Not Properly Define Critical Internal Roles and Responsibilities and Failed to Provide Actionable Guidance to External Stakeholders to Manage Fraud Risk and Combat Paycheck Protection Program Abuse

• SBA lacked a well-structured framework to manage potentially fraudulent PPP loans

• SBA did not provide lenders with sufficient guidance on handling PPP fraud

II. Enhanced Unemployment Insurance

A. Fraudulent Unemployment Insurance Payments Total More Than $191 Billion

• GAO estimated 11-15% of UI claims were fraudulent, resulting in $100-135 billion in improper payments

• DOL IG found at least $191 billion was wrongfully paid out to bad actors exploiting the system

B. States Failed to Improve Their Preparedness and Implement Data-Driven Oversight, Leading to Increased Fraud Across All Pandemic-Related Unemployment Insurance Programs

• Long-standing weaknesses in state UI systems allowed fraud to proliferate in pandemic programs

• States like California, New York, and Pennsylvania struggled with backlogs and failed to report performance data

III. Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

A. The U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Programs, Including COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans, Suffered Increased Vulnerability to Fraud and Unnecessary Losses of at Least $200 Million

• At least 17% of COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds were disbursed to potentially fraudulent actors

• Fraudsters used fake employee IDs and self-certified information to obtain larger EIDL grants

B. U.S. Small Business Administration Did Not Implement Proper Oversight Controls to Prevent Fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans

• SBA failed to heed recommendations from GAO and OIG to implement fraud detection analytics and a comprehensive fraud risk assessment

IV. Transnational Fraud

A. Lackluster Oversight Resulted in Transnational Criminal Organizations and Fraudsters Stealing U.S. Taxpayer Money from Pandemic Relief Funds

• International criminal networks exploited pandemic relief programs, accounting for an estimated 50% of funds lost to fraud

B. Domestic and International Fraudsters that Stole from Pandemic Relief Programs were also Connected to Other Organized Crimes

• Fraudsters used stolen PII, phishing, and other tactics to impersonate jobless Americans and obtain UI benefits

V. Flaws in Pandemic Program Oversight

A. Federal Agencies Overseeing Pandemic Relief Funds were Needlessly "Siloed Off" from Each Other, Which Prevented Wholistic Tracking and Disbursing of Funds to Prevent Fraud

• Lack of coordination among federal agencies overseeing relief programs hindered fraud prevention and detection

B. Federal Agencies Did Not Require and Failed to Validate Information Provided by Applicants to Properly Verify Eligibility

• Reliance on self-certification and lack of data verification enabled ineligible individuals and fraudsters to obtain benefits

C. Federal and State Agencies Lacked Up-to-Date Financial Management Systems, Failing to Meet Federally Mandated Modernization Requirements, Leading to Billions of Dollars of American Taxpayer Money Improperly Paid or Stolen

• Outdated IT systems and failure to implement GAO/OIG recommendations contributed to the scale of pandemic relief fraud

The Implementation or Effectiveness of Any Federal Law or Regulation Applied, Enacted, or Under Consideration to Address the Coronavirus Pandemic and Prepare for Future Pandemics

I. Overreliance on the World Health Organization

A. The World Health Organization Failed to Uphold Its Mission and Caved to Chinese Communist Party Pressure

• WHO failed to hold China accountable for violating International Health Regulations

B. The Chinese Communist Party Violated Articles Six and Seven of the International Health Regulations with No Repercussions

• China downplayed the threat and provided misleading information about COVID-19

C. The World Health Organization's Report Regarding the Origins of COVID-19 Was Incomplete, Misleading, and Parroted Chinese Communist Party Propaganda

• WHO's origins report lacked crucial evidence and merely echoed China's narrative

D. The World Health Organization's Draft "Pandemic Treaty" Does Not Solve the Organization's Underlying Problems and May Affirmatively Harm the United States

• Proposed treaty does not address core issues with WHO's lack of independence and transparency

II. The Strategic National Stockpile Was Not Prepared to Address a Nationwide Viral Pandemic

A. Dating Back to the Obama Administration, the Strategic National Stockpile Was Not Prepared for a National Public Health Emergency

• SNS lacked sufficient personal protective equipment and other medical supplies for a widespread pandemic

B. States Must Maintain Their Own Stockpile of Emergency Medical Supplies

• Reliance on the federal SNS proved inadequate during COVID-19

III. The United States' Unsecure Supply Chain Risks a Future Failed Pandemic Response

A. The United States Must Reduce Its Reliance on Other Countries, Particularly China, for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies

• Overdependence on foreign, especially Chinese, sources of critical supplies posed problems during the pandemic

IV. The Six-Foot Social Distancing Requirement Was Not Supported by Science

A. There Was No Quantitative Scientific Support for Six Feet of Social Distancing

• Lack of evidence behind the "six-foot rule" for distancing

V. Masks and Mask Mandates Were Ineffective at Controlling the Spread of COVID-19

A. Public Health Officials Flip Flopping on the Efficacy and Use of Face Masks Without Full Scientific Transparency Caused Mistrust in Public Health Establishments

• Changing guidance on masks eroded public trust

B. The Biden Administration Exceeded its Authority by Mandating Masks

• Mask mandates may have exceeded the administration's legal authority

C. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Relied on Flawed Studies to Support the Issuance of Mask Mandates

• CDC cited faulty research to justify mask requirements

D. Forcibly Masking Young Children, Ages Two and Older, Caused More Harm than Good

• Masking young children was not supported by the available evidence

VI. Unscientific COVID-19 Lockdowns Caused More Harm Than Good

A. Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns Unnecessarily Harmed the U.S. Economy

• Prolonged lockdowns had severe economic consequences

B. Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns Unnecessarily Damaged American's Mental Health

• Lockdowns took a toll on mental wellbeing

C. Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns Disrupted the Development of American Children and Young Adults

• School closures and other restrictions negatively impacted child development

D. Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns Unnecessarily had Severe Consequences for Americans' Physical Health

• Lockdowns contributed to detrimental effects on physical health

E. Despite Lacking Scientific Basis, Vaccine Passports Became a De Facto Lockdown for Unvaccinated Americans

• Vaccine mandates amounted to an indirect lockdown for the unvaccinated population