Staff Reports
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has opened a review of more than 120 foreign biological laboratories that received U.S. taxpayer money. Reports say the effort aims to map the labs, list pathogens, and decide whether any of the work crosses into risky “gain‑of‑function” territory — including more than 40 sites in Ukraine. This is the exact question Americans were told to stop asking, and it deserves clear, public answers.
What the ODNI review is actually doing
The review is meant to identify where these labs are, what research was done, and whether taxpayer dollars paid for risky experiments. Officials tie the work to President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening rules on dangerous biological research. So far, ODNI has spoken to reporters but has not posted a public inventory or a detailed methodology. That leaves the American people with promises instead of paperwork — which is not good enough.
Why this matters to taxpayers and national security
Tax dollars, foreign labs, and real risk
This is not academic. U.S. programs have long funded lab safety and surveillance overseas through Defense and public‑health channels. But funding and oversight are different things. Taxpayers deserve to know which agencies made grants, which contractors passed along money, and what safeguards were in place. If work involved pathogens or experiments that increased risk, that is a national‑security and public‑health problem, plain and simple.
Questions ODNI must answer — no spin, no delay
ODNI needs to publish a list of the facilities under review, the funding pathways and dollar amounts, and the years covered. Spell out what the review means by “gain‑of‑function.” Explain how findings will be shared with host countries and Congress. And provide a timeline. We have heard plenty of “trust us.” Now we need documents and oversight.
No more hiding behind “experts” and jargon
For years, anyone who asked simple questions about labs, funding, and safety was treated like a conspiracy theorist. That smearing needs to stop. Americans can read a budget sheet. They can understand a lab location. They are entitled to facts, not lectures. If the ODNI review is serious, make it public and let watchdogs, journalists, and Congress follow the money.
This review could be a real step toward accountability — or it could be another exercise in window dressing. Don’t let it be the latter. Demand the records, insist on clear definitions, and refuse the old habit of trusting promises instead of proof. If Washington wants to restore trust, transparency is how it starts.
