WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA), calling for a 9/11 style task force to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. government’s response. The non-partisan commission would take a deeper look at the timing and steps taken throughout the pandemic to make sure an outbreak of this magnitude never happens again. The task-force will be required to submit an interim report to Congress and the President within one year.
According to a news release issued May 11 by Sen. Marshall, this legislation comes after he released a bombshell COVID-19 report in April that shows a preponderance of evidence that there were two lab leaks occurring from a laboratory in Wuhan, China under the CCP’s watch.
“Getting to the bottom of the COVID-19 origins is not a partisan mission; it’s our duty and, quite frankly, a matter of national security,” said Senator Marshall. “Americans deserve answers. We owe it to the families who lost loved ones, the children who were taken from their classrooms for years, and the businesses that collapsed during the shutdowns to determine the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure nothing like this ever happens again. This bipartisan legislation will create a non-partisan, non-political, 9/11 style commission to get to the root causes of the COVID-19 virus outbreak and provide essential insight into our vulnerabilities to prevent future crises.”
“There’s no question we were unprepared to effectively respond to the COVID-19 outbreak a few years ago,” Senator Feinstein said. “This devastating pandemic has presented us with a unique opportunity to learn from what happened in order to better prepare for the next one. Our bipartisan legislation would establish a 9/11-style commission to identify ways to improve our preparedness and response efforts. We owe it to those we lost to not forsake this important responsibility.”
“In hindsight, there were many missteps made in the preparation and response to COVID-19 – and possibly even in the origins of the pandemic,” Senator Ernst said. “Learning from these mistakes is the only way to avoid them in the future. Every day we delay this independent, transparent investigation, we risk a fatal repeat. I am proud to be part of this bipartisan effort to uncover the truth before it is too late.”
“The pandemic fundamentally changed our society, economy and public health systems, and it is essential Congress takes action to prevent and prepare for future public health emergencies,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The bipartisan National Task Force on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act would create a 9/11 Commission-style COVID-19 task force that would conduct a comprehensive investigation into all aspects of the pandemic and analyze the U.S. and global response. A scientific and clear-eyed investigation is absolutely critical to strengthening our nation’s preparedness for future health crises.”
