Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says the Trump administration is reviewing more than 120 foreign biological laboratories funded with American taxpayer dollars as part of a sweeping effort to crack down on risky virus research and increase transparency surrounding overseas biolab programs.
In a statement Monday, Gabbard said the review is focused on identifying where the laboratories are located, what pathogens are being studied, and whether any of the work involved dangerous “gain-of-function” research that could potentially increase the transmissibility or lethality of viruses.
“The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have,” Gabbard said.
She also accused officials from previous administrations and parts of the public health establishment of misleading Americans about the scope of U.S.-funded biological research abroad.
“Politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of these U.S.-funded and supported biolabs,” Gabbard said, adding that her office is working to “end dangerous gain-of-function research that threatens the health and wellbeing of the American people and the world.”
According to officials within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the laboratories under review span more than 30 countries. More than 40 are reportedly located in Ukraine, where intelligence officials say some facilities could face elevated security risks because of the ongoing war with Russia.
Many of the labs received funding through the Department of Defense’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, a longstanding initiative launched after the Cold War to help secure dangerous biological, chemical, and nuclear materials in former Soviet states and other countries. Supporters of the program argue it plays a key role in preventing outbreaks and strengthening global biosecurity.
Critics, however, have long argued that oversight of foreign biological research funded through grants and subcontractors is often fragmented and difficult to track. Some lawmakers and watchdog groups say Americans have little visibility into what kinds of experiments are ultimately being conducted overseas with federal funding.
ODNI officials said some of the ongoing research projects have raised “ethical, financial and security concerns,” particularly involving experiments tied to enhanced pathogens or pandemic preparedness.
The issue became especially controversial during the COVID-19 pandemic, when questions emerged about U.S.-funded coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Between 2014 and 2021, NIH-backed research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab was later found to have violated grant conditions after modified viruses became significantly more infectious during experiments, according to federal findings. Officials have continued to deny that the research caused the pandemic itself.
The Biden administration repeatedly denied claims that the U.S. operated biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, calling such allegations Russian and Chinese propaganda. But confusion intensified in March 2022 when then-Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland acknowledged during Senate testimony that Ukraine maintained “biological research facilities” that the U.S. worried could fall into Russian hands after the invasion.
Trump administration officials now argue that previous messaging was designed to minimize public scrutiny over the extent of U.S. involvement in foreign biological research programs.
President Trump last year signed an executive order restricting federal funding for gain-of-function research in countries such as China and Iran unless strict oversight standards are met. The order followed years of debate over whether experiments involving enhanced pathogens create more risk than benefit.
Former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci was among the scientists who defended some gain-of-function research under tightly regulated conditions, arguing in past writings that the scientific knowledge gained could outweigh potential dangers.
Still, critics inside the Trump administration say the system lacked transparency and accountability for years.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused the Biden administration of concealing dangerous research programs funded with taxpayer money overseas.
“The prior administration bankrolled dangerous Gain-of-Function research and foreign biolabs with American tax dollars, then deliberately hid it from the American people,” Hegseth said.
The intelligence review is expected to continue over the coming months as officials examine funding records, laboratory partnerships, and ongoing biological research projects tied to the United States government.
