Trump halts financial support for studies on potentially harmful viruses.
Trump Slams Funding for 'Risky' Virus Research
President Donald Trump has put a stop to financial backing for investigations into potentially lethal viruses that may mutate dangerously. A statement on the White House website explained that these studies threaten public health and should cease immediately, even in other nations.
The announcement declared that the previous administration led by President Joe Biden tolerated risky research within the United States with inadequate supervision. It also endorsed, via the National Institutes of Health, federal funding for research in the natural sciences sector in China and other countries where American oversight is limited or where there's a lack of guarantee for biosafety.
Trump contends that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
In the May 5, 2025 executive order, funding for gain-of-function research—which increases pathogens' transmissibility or virulence—is prohibited in nations with insufficient oversight, like China and Iran. This ruling blocks current and upcoming funding for such research abroad, and authorizes U.S. agencies to terminate backing for any international biological studies that pose a potential risk to public health or national security.
The order encompasses projects such as those at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and EcoHealth Alliance[1][4]. It aims to prevent lab-induced pandemics like COVID-19 and the 1977 Russian flu, which some officials attribute to gain-of-function experiments[2][4]. The measure empowers U.S. agencies to identify and defund dual-use research (studies with both civilian and military applications) abroad that could endanger Americans[2][4].
This move initiates a heightened level of scrutiny for high-risk virology research but poses concerns about international collaborations in science and preparedness for future outbreaks. Critics within the scientific community argue that this ban could restrict pathogen surveillance and vaccine development associated with federally supported projects abroad[1][5]. Meanwhile, supporters claim that such studies aid in predicting pandemic threats[5].
- The 2025 executive order, issued by President Donald Trump, prohibits funding for gain-of-function research in nations with insufficient oversight, such as China and Iran, to prevent lab-induced pandemics like COVID-19.
- The policy and legislation aims to block current and upcoming funding for such research abroad, including projects at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and EcoHealth Alliance, to avoid potential risks to public health and national security.
- Critics within the scientific community argue that this ban could hinder pathogen surveillance and vaccine development associated with federally supported projects abroad, while supporters contend that it aids in predicting pandemic threats.
- The order encompasses projects with both civilian and military applications (dual-use research) abroad that could endanger Americans.
- This move in policy-and-legislation, initiated under Donald Trump, follows from his criticism of the COVID-19 pandemic originating from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
- The general news coverage of this issue discusses the impact on health-and-wellness, medical-conditions, and science institutes, with debates revolving around the reasonableness and effectiveness of the policy in managing pandemic risks and preventing mutations of viruses.
