STORY AT-A-GLANCE The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a $125 million grant to Washington State University to detect “emerging viruses.” Viruses that have not yet “emerged” are those that are manipulated in the lab, aka gain-of-function research There are 12 partner countries focusing on unknown pathogens from three families, which include coronaviruses (COVID-19), filoviruses (Ebola) and paramyxoviruses (measles and Nipah) Documents released following a Freedom of Information Act request showed gain-of-function research was performed on two types of coronaviruses to boost pathogenicity and statements from the NIH and NIAID directors before Congress were lies The August 1, 2021, addendum to the House Foreign Affairs Committee report showed SARS-CoV-2 was released in Wuhan in September and spread through the world using athletes from the 2019 Military Games held in Wuhan in October 2019 Some GOP members are calling for the head of the NIAID to resign or to be fired; Sen. Rand Paul has referred the director’s actions to the Department of Justice for an investigation on possible perjury charges In early 2020, as scientists were analyzing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it was theorized the virulence and infectivity could be explained by gain-of-function research. Months of lab analyses and political arguments ensued over whether the virus was leaked from the lab or developed naturally in the wild.