Ranking Member Ruiz Statement on House Passage of Legislation to Declassify COVID-19 Origins Intelligence

Mar 10, 2023
Press Release

Washington, D.C. (March 10, 2023)—Today, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25), Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, issued the following statement upon final passage of S. 619, legislation to declassify intelligence information related to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic:

 

“Understanding the root causes of the COVID-19 pandemic is important to help prevent a future pandemic. Under President Biden’s direction and leadership, the intelligence community has been hard at work gathering information to answer the question of whether COVID-19 started as a lab leak or animal transmission. The evidence, as of today, is inconclusive. It is important that the American people have as much objective information as possible without extreme partisan rhetoric. While not perfect, this legislation takes a step toward transparency of the facts. I look forward to putting people over politics and developing evidence-based policies that will help our nation save lives and lessen harm in future pandemics.”

Issues: 
118th Congress