COVID Act of 2021

The COVID Act of 2021 (S. 2148) would require the President to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and institutions if the Chinese government does not allow a transparent, international investigation into the origins of COVID-19. If a comprehensive investigation is not permitted within 90 days of the bill’s passage, the U.S. would freeze the assets of leaders within the Chinese Academy of Sciences and ban them from entering the United States.

For American citizens and the scientific community, the bill would prohibit federal funding for any collaborative research projects between U.S. and Chinese researchers. Additionally, U.S. institutions receiving federal money would be barred from conducting specific types of viral research with Chinese entities, potentially shifting the landscape of international scientific cooperation and federal grant eligibility.