May 23, 2025 | Benjamin Bartee
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has faced scrutiny over its collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on gain-of-function research related to avian influenza viruses. This issue was revisited during a recent USDA budget hearing by Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), who questioned current USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins about the department’s previous $1 million project with CAS.
The controversy arose after documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that contrary to prior statements by former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, there had been active collaboration between the USDA and CAS. The project in question was titled “US-UK-China Collab: Predictive Phylogenetics For Evolutionary and Transmission Dynamics of Newly Emerging Avian Influenza Viruses.”
Rep. Cline criticized the past administration’s actions, stating, “Your predecessor [former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack] was… had quite a track record, and it’s not a pretty one.” He further questioned why Vilsack defended this collaboration despite evidence to the contrary.
In response to Cline’s inquiry about discontinuing funding for such projects, Secretary Rollins stated, “Yes, it is my understanding that those have been discontinued just in the last few months, but we will double-check that today.”
Cline expressed his approval of ending these collaborations: “It is outrageous that U.S. taxpayer dollars were ever used by the Biden USDA to fund joint experiments with the Chinese Communist Party.” He praised Rollins and the Trump administration for prioritizing American safety.
White Coat Waste Project Senior Vice President Justin Goodman supported this stance, saying: “Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for the creation of pandemic-causing pathogens.”
The revelations have raised questions about accountability within government operations and transparency regarding international scientific collaborations.
