Gabbard Launches Review of U.S. Biolab Funding Overseas Amid Oversight Scrutiny

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and intelligence officials have initiated an investigation into the scope and security of American funding to international biological laboratories, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The review was confirmed in communications with The Epoch Times on May 12, marking a formal assessment of a program that has drawn increasing congressional attention.

Initial reviews of intelligence files revealed that the U.S. government has provided financial support to more than 120 biolaboratories operating across more than 30 countries. Among those facilities are biolabs located in Ukraine, which officials indicated may face elevated risk of compromise given the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The assessment also flagged other laboratories involved in research on highly contagious pathogens, including potentially research that enhanced pathogen virulence or transmissibility, with what officials described as limited visibility into operations and oversight mechanisms.

The scope of the funding program underscores the breadth of U.S. engagement in international biological research. The Department of Defense documented in 2022 that the United States had invested approximately $200 million in overseas biolaboratories. The current review signals a potential recalibration of how such programs are evaluated and supervised, with implications for biosecurity policy and international scientific cooperation frameworks. Officials have framed the inquiry as addressing gaps in oversight rather than confirming any specific security breach or malicious activity.