Overview
- U.S. intelligence, led by Director Tulsi Gabbard, opened a review of more than 120 taxpayer‑funded biolabs in over 30 countries, with officials warning that over 40 sites in Ukraine could face war‑related risks.
- The review will map each lab’s location, list the pathogens on site, and detail the research underway to gauge dangers such as gain‑of‑function work, which can make a virus spread more easily or cause more severe disease.
- ODNI officials said some facilities previously received support through the Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which was set up after the Cold War to secure and dismantle weapons threats.
- Officials also cited current clinical trials at some labs as raising ethical, financial, and security concerns, signaling possible funding changes, shutdowns, or tighter safeguards once findings are in.
- The effort follows a May 2025 order from President Trump that cut U.S. funding for gain‑of‑function projects in countries with weak oversight and comes after 2022 statements from the Biden administration denying U.S‑owned or operated labs in Ukraine, as past watchdog and NIH findings highlighted oversight gaps including a $1.4 billion spending trail that proved hard to track and grant‑term violations in Wuhan research.