[ZERO] While the White House reported Monday that the U.S. intelligence community has not yet reached a "consensus" on the origins of the COVID-19 virus, the Biden administration voiced support for the practice of gain-of-function research, so long as it was done safely, securely, and with transparency.As complicated as it is complex, such research generally refers to the intentional manipulation of viruses to make them more transmissible, and therefore more dangerous, in order to study them. Critics argue the risks outweigh any potential reward if this kind of research goes wrong.
Congressional Republicans, led by Sens. Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, and Rand Paul, say that the coronavirus likely leaked from a Chinese research facility in Wuhan that was engaging in that kind of research and have called for a moratorium on federal funding to any university or organizations conducting gain-of-function studies.
When RealClearPolitics asked Monday if President Biden thought gain of function was "prudent," John Kirby, the president’s National Security Council spokesman replied that he did.
"He believes that it’s important to help prevent future pandemics, which means he understands that there has to be legitimate scientific research into the sources or potential sources of pandemics so that we understand it so that we can prevent them and we prevent them from happening obviously," Kirby said before adding that the president believed any such research "must be done in a safe and secure manner and as transparent as possible to the rest of the world."
To sum up, Kirby then told RCP, "I think that’s a fancy way of saying ’yes.’