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Senators press DHS on alleged risky pathogen research; Noem schedules NBACC review

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Senate Committee · May 20, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Chairman Rand Paul told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on May 20 that subpoenaed records show the Department of Homeland Security used taxpayer dollars to fund laboratory work he called deeply concerning and potentially "gain of function."

Chairman Rand Paul told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on May 20 that subpoenaed records show the Department of Homeland Security used taxpayer dollars to fund laboratory work he called deeply concerning and potentially "gain of function." Paul, opening the hearing, said the documents "confirm our suspicions" that researchers proposed combining elements of two weakened anthrax strains to produce a version capable of causing disease and that scientists at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasure Center (NBACC) had experimented with aerosolizing agents including plague and Ebola.

Why it matters: The chairman framed the claims as both a public‑safety risk and a diplomatic concern tied to the Biological Weapons Convention. He said Congress needs…

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