Importance Score: 72 / 100 🔴
President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at curbing research that could potentially instigate future pandemics has been met with mixed reactions. While celebrated by some, a closer examination reveals limitations in its scope concerning gain-of-function research. The order restricts U.S. funds for research that deliberately enhances the infectiousness or lethality of pathogens, particularly in countries of concern. However, its impact on domestic research and allied nations remains a point of contention.
Trump’s Executive Order on Gain-of-Function Research: A Closer Look
The executive order signed by President Trump this week restricts research that could create the next pandemic. The order bans US funds from being used to sponsor research abroad known as ‘gain-of-function’, when pathogens are deliberately made more infectious or deadly. However, it may not be the complete ban some were expecting.
Scope of the Ban
While President Trump declared the order a “big deal” at a White House briefing, emphasizing its potential to have prevented the current pandemic, the specifics indicate a more nuanced approach.
- Restricted Nations: The order primarily targets federal funding in “countries of concern” such as China and Iran.
- Continued Funding: Within the U.S. and allied nations, federally funded gain-of-function research may continue, albeit with increased government oversight.
Concerns and Criticisms
Critics, like vaccine-skeptic lawyer Thomas Renz, argue that the policy does not outright prohibit gain-of-function research but instead “codifies it” by legitimizing the practice under specific regulations.
He told The Daily Pulse: ‘They’re going to allow it under new regulations. And by doing that, they’re essentially saying, “We’re fine with gain-of-function as long as it follows the current rules.”
‘So in that way, they’re actually legitimizing gain-of-function work in this country, which is absolutely mind-blowing to me,’ he added.
President Trump signed the executive order, accompanied by key figures including the HHS secretary, NIH head Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid head Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Official Statements and Context
According to a copy of the order, the Trump administration believes that ‘The Biden Administration allowed dangerous gain-of-function research within the United States with insufficient levels of oversight.
‘It also actively approved, through the National Institutes of Health, Federal life-science research funding in China and other countries where there is limited United States oversight or reasonable expectation of biosafety enforcement.’
The administration suggests that ‘This recklessness, if unaddressed, may lead to the proliferation of research on pathogens (and potential pathogens) in settings without adequate safeguards, even after Covid-19 revealed the risk of such practices.’
Historical Perspective and Future Guidelines
Timeline of Gain-of-Function Research Oversight
- 2014: The Obama administration halted federal funding for experiments that could make certain viruses more dangerous.
- 2017: President Trump reversed this ban, allowing experiments to continue under strict guidelines.
- Post-COVID-19: The Biden administration introduced comprehensive federal laws for monitoring such research.
The new executive order aims to enhance the existing framework and develop improved monitoring methods. The head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy has been tasked with creating new monitoring guidelines within 120 days.
However, the existing framework has faced criticism for lacking an independent federal agency for research oversight.