Rand Paul Sounds Alarms Over Relationship Between NIH And DHS After ‘Inexcusable’ Biosafety Incident

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During a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) spoke about the relationship between the NIH and DHS.

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00:00grown into an unwieldy bureaucracy, rife with unaccountable power and wasteful spending,

00:06characteristics all too common in large federal institutions. Before your tenure, DHS had quietly

00:12expanded its scope, using taxpayer dollars to surveil American citizens, censor speech,

00:19and even fund high-risk virus research, all with little to no oversight. I commend you

00:25and the Trump administration for ending all government-sponsored censorship using DHS

00:30personnel. Just last night, I received the first set of records from the department regarding Tulsi

00:37Gabbard's placement on the TSA Quiet Skies watch list. These documents confirm our suspicions.

00:44Federal air marshals surveilled the now Director of National Intelligence during domestic flights in

00:512024, reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she

00:57was observed using. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. TSA is not the only DHS component

01:06running secretive programs behind closed doors. Most Americans would be shocked to learn that DHS

01:14funds both classified and unclassified biological research right here on U.S. soil. Under your

01:21leadership, the department has begun producing subpoenaed records revealing deeply concerning

01:26experiments with biological threat agents. In one case, researchers proposed combining elements

01:33of two weakened anthrax strains to re-engineer a version capable of causing disease again.

01:40These are experiments that we cannot countenance. You heard that right. DHS was using taxpayer dollars

01:47to try to recreate a fully virulent anthrax strain by engineering it from less dangerous components.

01:53That sure sounds like gain-of-function to me. At the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasure Center,

02:01also known as NBAC, scientists have conducted repeated experiments aerosolizing some of the world's

02:07deadliest pathogens, the plague, Ebola, and more, exploring how to increase their lethality and

02:16transmissibility. We have documents indicating these experiments have continued during the Biden

02:22administration. NBAC, the lab, sits adjacent to NIH's Integrated Research Facility at Fort Diedrich,

02:30the very same facility where just recently Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya halted research

02:37following a disturbing biosafety instance in which a research intentionally slashed another's biosafety suit

02:43while handling Ebola. Inexcusable.

02:48Afterwards, DHS personnel were reportedly seen padlocking freezers inside the NIH lab.

02:55So naturally, I want to know what exactly is the relationship between DHS and NIH at Fort Diedrich?

03:02What overlap exists between their work? It shouldn't take a personal altercation in a

03:08compromised biosafety suit to initiate oversight. But here we are. And why is the Department of Homeland

03:15Security, an agency meant to defend the homeland, conducting experiments with pathogens capable of

03:23killing millions in the first place? These are questions, and the taxpayers deserve answers.

03:30Some might say it's about preparedness, but when does preparedness cross in the line into recklessness?

03:37At one point does an attempt to prevent catastrophe, at what point does an attempt to prevent catastrophe

03:43actually increase the likelihood of one? This is only the tip of the iceberg of the reckless research

03:50quietly being funded out of the Department of Homeland Security. Some of it conducted on behalf of other federal agencies

03:55under the agency's Work for Others program, obscuring the ability of Congress and the public to follow the money.

04:03This isn't just a domestic safety concern. It's a diplomatic one.

04:08DHS conducts internal arms control compliance assessments to evaluate whether its projects could violate

04:14or appear to violate the Biological Weapons Convention. If DHS is engaging in high-risk virus research

04:21that could lead to a catastrophic leak or could be perceived as a U.S. violating the Biological Weapons Convention,

04:28then the Department isn't securing the homeland. It's endangering it. That's why Congress must pass

04:35my bipartisan Risky Research Review Act to establish independent oversight of federally funded gain-of-function

04:42research and other potentially dangerous studies.

04:45We don't even have a universally accepted definition of gain-of-function allowing researchers

04:50to pick and choose the standards that suit them. That's not real oversight.

04:55Secretary Noem, I appreciate your demonstrated commitment to reversing the obstruction of your predecessor

05:01and pushing back on efforts by entrenched bureaucrats within the Department to delay, redact, and resist oversight.

05:08You've inherited a difficult task, restoring accountability to a department that has strayed from its founding mission.

05:15This is a pivotal moment. I look forward to continue to work with you to bring about long-overdue transparency

05:21to the American people. Thank you, and I recognize the ranking member.

05:26Thank you, Chairman Paul. Secretary Elm?

05:29Thank you, Chairman Paul. Secretary Elm?

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