Blue Dogs Call on Congress to Investigate Origins of COVID-19

July 14, 2021 by Dan McCue
Blue Dogs Call on Congress to Investigate Origins of COVID-19
Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D- Fla.

The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats is calling on House and Senate leaders to establish a bipartisan commission to assess the United States preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus.

The letter, which was signed by every member of the coalition’s leadership group, was sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

In it, the signers explain they envision the commission’s investigation as complementing the work of the intelligence community, which was recently directed by President Biden to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information to reach a more definitive conclusion on the origins of COVID-19.

The legislation establishing the commission is modeled on the 2002 legislation creating the “National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,” also known as the 9-11 Commission.  

Reps. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and John Katko, R-N.Y. introduced H.R. 6429 in the 116th Congress providing a good template for this new legislation.

“The COVID commission would consist of 10 well-respected individuals, five appointed by Democrats and five appointed by Republicans, and would be supported by a non-partisan staff of subject-matter experts,” the coalition’s letter says. 

“The commission would examine how COVID-19 emerged and spread in the United States; evaluate the United States’ preparedness for and response to the pandemic; and issue a report providing Congress, the President, and the American people with a full accounting of what occurred and recommending concrete steps the U.S. public and private sector can take to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the harmful impact of future pandemics.  

“The purpose of the commission would not be to point fingers or assign blame, but rather to make the United States stronger and more resilient if we face another pandemic,” the signers assure leadership.

They go on to note that “importantly, as part of its mandate, the commission would build on the work that is currently being conducted by the intelligence community and other components of the federal government to investigate the precise origins of COVID-19 in China.  

“Understanding exactly how COVID-19 originated and how its initial spread began is critical to creating an accurate historical account of the pandemic and is vital to helping the United States prepare for future pandemics. The Chinese government will predictably object to this effort to learn the truth. Its objections should be noted and then disregarded,” the letter says.

The push for the commission builds on the Blue Dog Coalition’s efforts during the previous Congress to call for bipartisan efforts to assess the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the Chinese government’s actions surrounding the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

The letter was signed by Reps. Stephanie Murphy of Florida; Tom O’Halleran of Arizona; Abigail Spanberger of Virginia; Ed Case of Hawaii; Kurt Schrader of Oregon; Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey; Sanford Bishop of Georgia; Jim Costa of California; and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.

A+
a-
  • Blue Dog Coalition
  • COVID Commission
  • COVID-19
  • John Katko
  • Stephanie Murphy
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Congress

    May 23, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    CPAC Honors Conservative Members of House, Senate for Work in 2024

    WASHINGTON — CPAC honored members of the House and Senate this week for their commitment to conservative principles in policies... Read More

    WASHINGTON — CPAC honored members of the House and Senate this week for their commitment to conservative principles in policies dealing with everything from energy and state’s rights to cutting funding for unnecessary or duplicative federal programs. The CPAC Foundation is the nation’s oldest conservative grassroots... Read More

    May 22, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    House Narrowly Passes ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in Victory for Johnson, Trump

    WASHINGTON — The House early Thursday narrowly passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a massive piece of legislation that... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The House early Thursday narrowly passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a massive piece of legislation that would extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and significantly advance the domestic policy of his second administration. As narrow as it was, the 215-214 vote... Read More

    May 21, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Industry Execs Ask Congress for Uniform AI Rules

    WASHINGTON – Artificial intelligence technologies are evolving at a breakneck speed but the regulations that govern them are not, according... Read More

    WASHINGTON – Artificial intelligence technologies are evolving at a breakneck speed but the regulations that govern them are not, according to industry executives at a congressional hearing Wednesday. The result is a complex web of state and federal regulations that threatens to slow innovation and limit... Read More

    May 21, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Marathon Rules Committee Hearing Continues as Panel Awaits Johnson Changes

    WASHINGTON — A meeting of the House Rules Committee that began at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning stretched well beyond the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A meeting of the House Rules Committee that began at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning stretched well beyond the nine-hour mark as members continued to wait for negotiated changes to the so-called “one, big, beautiful bill” sought by President Donald Trump. The lengthy deliberation of... Read More

    May 20, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Johnson Pressing for Every Vote He Can Get for Trump’s ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’

    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., flanked by staffers, was moving quickly across the first floor of the Capitol... Read More

    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., flanked by staffers, was moving quickly across the first floor of the Capitol when he encountered a small clutch of reporters in a corridor lined with statuary. “Sorry,” he said as he looked up from his ever-present binder. “I... Read More

    Trump Heading to Capitol Hill to Persuade Divided GOP to Unify Around His 'Big, Beautiful' Bill

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his “big, beautiful bill,"... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his “big, beautiful bill," using the power of political persuasion to unify divided House Republicans on the multitrillion-dollar package that is at risk of collapsing ahead of planned votes this week. Trump has implored... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top