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