Seven GOP members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation sent a letter Tuesday to federal officials seeking information about the oversight of risky research with lab-created H5N1 influenza viruses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Citing an excerpt from Pandora's Gamble that was published by USA TODAY earlier this month, the letter said the report "of these two researchers' potential exposure to a genetically engineered virus and alleged failures to adequately address said exposures raises questions about HHS's oversight of biosafety incidents." The letter -- addressed to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak -- seeks, among other things, copies of the UW-Madison lab incident reports, information about obligations for research institutions to report actual or potential exposures to infectious agents, and whether HHS requires institutions to report actual or potential exposures to local and/or state health officials.
The letter is signed by seven Wisconsin Republicans: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald and U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
Read the full letter here: