US Tax Dollars VANISH While China Gains VIRAL Arsenal

For over a decade, your taxpayer dollars funded the quiet shipment of thousands of viruses—including pandemic-potential coronaviruses—straight into the hands of a Chinese military-linked biolab in Wuhan, all without so much as a formal contract, oversight, or a single guarantee for U.S. interests.

At a Glance

• USAID’s PREDICT program sent nearly 11,000 viral samples—including bat coronaviruses—to the Wuhan Institute of Virology with minimal oversight
• Shipments occurred over ten years, lacking formal agreements or contractual safeguards, leaving U.S. taxpayers shut out of access and control
• The Wuhan lab has direct ties to the Chinese military and a documented history of poor biosafety practices
• Revelations have ignited a firestorm over global health research, foreign aid waste, and national security risks

Decade of Viral Shipments: American Dollars, Chinese Control

From 2009 to 2019, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ran its $210 million PREDICT program, supposedly to help identify emerging infectious threats before they could become pandemics. What actually happened? Nearly 11,000 viral samples—collected from bats, rodents, and even humans in hotspots like Yunnan Province, China—were boxed up and sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the same lab now infamous for its links to the origins of COVID-19. Not only did USAID and its academic contractors at UC Davis ship these samples overseas, but they did so without a shred of a formal contract, chain of custody, or any long-term storage plan on U.S. soil. The result: a decade’s worth of American-funded viral intelligence now sits behind Chinese Communist Party-controlled walls, with the U.S. government left out in the cold.

Key officials and watchdogs are sounding the alarm, pointing out that the PREDICT program’s “grift” did nothing to safeguard American interests. Richard Ebright, a prominent molecular biologist, bluntly called out the lack of contractual terms requiring samples to be stored in the U.S. Reuben Guttman, a legal expert on government program integrity, said, “It’s not rocket science to require a contract and supporting paperwork… In any scientific endeavor, you need confidence in your results.” Yet, somehow, this basic level of accountability was missing as viral samples with pandemic potential were handed over to a foreign lab with known military ties and a history of abysmal biosafety.

Biosecurity Nightmare: What Could Go Wrong?

The Wuhan Institute of Virology—yes, that Wuhan lab—became the storage site for these samples, including viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2, under the watchful eye of the Chinese military. The lab has been repeatedly criticized for its shoddy safety record and lack of transparency. It’s been debarred from U.S. funding and investigated for oversight failures along with its Western partner, EcoHealth Alliance. Yet, the United States, under the banner of “global health,” essentially handed over a treasure trove of viral samples without so much as a receipt. There was no formal agreement, no plan for what would happen after U.S. funding dried up, and no assurance that America could access these samples if needed for research or pandemic response.

Instead, the samples—funded by taxpayers who expected accountability and protection of national interests—are now under the control of a regime that has never played by the rules of transparency. The Chinese Communist Party, through its People’s Liberation Army, holds the keys to this viral archive. Meanwhile, U.S. taxpayers and researchers find themselves locked out, with no recourse or leverage. As one would expect, this has fueled widespread outrage and prompted calls for a complete overhaul of how America approaches global health research, foreign aid, and national security risks.

Fallout: Shuttered Programs and Erosion of Trust

The consequences of this colossal lapse in judgment have been swift and severe. Internal documents released in July 2025 revealed the full scale of USAID’s shipments, and public backlash was immediate. USAID itself has now been shuttered, its legacy overshadowed by accusations of waste, mismanagement, and undermining American interests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio minced no words in his rebuke, arguing that USAID’s “NGO-industrial complex” has not only failed to meet development goals but has also fueled anti-American sentiment abroad. Meanwhile, watchdogs like U.S. Right to Know have ramped up their scrutiny of international research collaborations that put our country’s biosecurity at risk.

The closure of the PREDICT program and USAID has left a gaping hole in America’s global health strategy. Epidemiological models warn that slashing these programs could mean up to 14 million more deaths worldwide. Yet, after decades of unchecked spending and minimal results, many Americans are demanding a new approach—one that puts national interests, transparency, and oversight first. The controversy has sparked a broader debate over the wisdom of funding research in countries that routinely flout basic safety and transparency standards, especially when those countries are strategic rivals with military ambitions.

America First: Time to Reclaim Control and Accountability

There’s a reason Americans are fed up with business as usual in Washington: stories like this one, where their hard-earned tax dollars are spent on risky, unvetted science projects in adversary nations, with nothing to show for it but lost leverage and increased danger. The USAID viral sample debacle is a case study in what happens when bureaucratic incompetence collides with utopian globalism. The answer isn’t to abandon global health research altogether, but to demand real contracts, enforceable oversight, and a rock-solid commitment to our own security first. The days of blank checks and blind trust are over. Americans expect—and deserve—better.