Sen. Paul Reintroduces Bipartisan Risky Research Review Act to Oversee Gain-of-Function Research

 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, reintroduced the bipartisan Risky Research Review Act, a first-of-its-kind proposal to establish a Life Sciences Research Security Board within the Executive Branch. This independent board will oversee the funding of gain-of-function research and other high-risk life sciences research that potentially poses a threat to public health, safety, or national security.

“We must demand accountability for the grave oversights that were revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety of our nation and the trust in its institutions depend on it. My bill not only strengthens transparency but also ensures that public health decisions are made in the best interest of the American people, free from financial motives and prioritizing national security,” said Dr. Paul. 

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is an original cosponsor of the legislation in the Senate. 

“Life science research can yield breakthroughs that help protect the health of Americans, but it must be done with proper safeguards in place,” said Sen. Peters. “By creating an independent oversight agency, this bill will help maintain control of high-risk research, to ensure it’s effective, innovative, and safe.”

U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Gain-of-function research is reported to be a potential target of a future President Trump Executive Order. As someone who has extensively investigated COVID-19 origins and biosafety concerns in foreign labs, it is clear to me that greater oversight measures are needed to review gain-of-function research of concern and risky experiments that involve virus transmission in humans. The National Institutes of Health has proven they are not capable of properly reviewing risky research applications, as in the case of EcoHealth Alliance. I believe the Risky Research Review Act establishes crucial oversight measures to alleviate the legitimate and significant concerns of the American people, thus reestablishing trust in our public health agencies,” said Rep. Griffith.  

The Life Sciences Research Security Board will serve as an independent body responsible for thoroughly evaluating gain-of-function research and other potentially harmful studies involving high-consequence pathogens. Currently, the funding and study of life sciences research lack sufficient government oversight, allowing American taxpayer dollars to be spent without proper safeguards. Dr. Paul’s legislation establishes a much-needed stringent review process for the board to assess high-risk research and decide whether tax dollars should support specific research proposals, ensuring accountability and strengthening transparency.

The Risky Research Review Act will:

1. Establish an Independent Oversight Board: Form a Life Sciences Research Security Board dedicated to protecting public health, safety, and national security by evaluating and issuing binding determinations on high-risk life sciences research proposals seeking federal funding.
2. Define High-Risk Research: Specify high-risk life sciences research as studies with potential dangerous uses, or dual-use research of concern involving a high-consequence pathogen, or gain-of-function research.
3. Ensure Board Independence: Position the board as an independent agency within the Executive Branch, consisting of one executive director, five non-governmental scientists, two national security experts, and one non-governmental biosafety expert, each serving up to two four-year terms.
4. Restrict Funding Without Approval: Prohibit federal agencies from awarding funding for high-risk life sciences research without board approval.
5. Mandate Majority Vote: Require a majority vote of board members to approve high-risk life sciences research.
6. Empower the Board: Authorize the board to compel agencies to turn over necessary information and records, including classified information.
7. Demand Full Disclosure: Require life sciences research grant applicants to declare if their research falls under high-risk life sciences categories or involves select agents or toxins.
8. Automatic Referral: Mandate that all positive attestations are automatically referred to the board.
9. Continuous Subcontract Disclosure: Require grant recipients to continuously disclose subcontracts or subawards to agencies, with agencies required to submit these disclosures to the board.
10. Annual Reporting: The board will submit an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees and publish it online, summarizing determinations, findings, and information about entities and sub-awardees involved in high-risk life sciences research.

You can read the Risky Research Review Act HERE. 

https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-reintroduces-bipartisan-risky-research-review-act-to-oversee-gain-of-function-research/

Cuomo’s scandals cost NY taxpayers $60M and counting in legal bills: state report

 New York taxpayers have coughed up a whopping $60 million in legal fees stemming from the scandals that ensnared Andrew Cuomo’s administration, according to a bombshell new state report that comes as the former governor seeks to become mayor.

The updated tally from State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli sparked outrage from critics, who said it proved Cuomo — the leader in the Democratic mayoral primary race, per recent polls — wasn’t fit to return to office. 

“If Cuomo is willing to use taxpayer dollars to attack government employees that he sexually harassed, what else is he willing to use taxpayer dollars for?” said Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group established by former legislative staffers.

“He hasn’t taken responsibility and doesn’t deserve to be in office.”

The massive sum revealed by the comptroller’s report includes around $18 million to defend Cuomo against lawsuits filed by former aides and state employees accusing him of sexual harassment.

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Cuomo has denied the harrassment allegations.Michael Nigro
Taxpayers have so far spent $8.6 million to defend a still-pending harassment suit brought against him by a state trooper, and paid $9 million defending Cuomo from a suit brought by former aide Charlotte Bennett, who decided in December to drop the litigation.

DiNapoli’s findings include another $11.7 million spent toward state probes — including into Cuomo’s handling of the COVID pandemic and his infamous $5 million pandemic book deal — and impeachment proceedings launched against the then-governor.

The $29.7 million total in direct legal bills from Cuomo and his close associates that as of Friday taxpayers have been saddled with has grown by $4.2 million — or roughly $840,000 per month — since September.

Taxpayers are on the hook for bills directly tied to Cuomo’s legal defense because he was successfully able to argue that the state should pay his legal costs since he was governor at the time of the allegations.

The figures from the state comptroller also count $31.3 million in legal fees for state government agencies. That includes funds not directly related to Cuomo’s legal defense, like the $6.6 million paid by Attorney General Letitia James’ office to white-shoe law firm Clearly Gottlieb to work on the sexual harassment probe into the then governor.

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A DOJ watchdog report found that the Trump Administration’s probe into Cuomo’s handling of nursing home deaths had political motivations.Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post

One of Cuomo’s mayoral rivals, City Comptroller Brad Lander, seized on the new numbers in a speech Monday, calling on the ex-gov to pay New Yorkers back — and to vow not to use another cent of taxpayer cash toward legal bills.

“He should make a commitment that he will raise the money to refund New York state taxpayers for the $60 million in legal expenses that he has already forced us to expend,” Lander told reporters.

“And look, if he refuses either to answer the question or refuses to stop spending and refunding the money, he is sending a very clear message to every single taxpayer in New York City that he is going to put himself first and you second,” the comptroller added.

Lander said Cuomo should be spending his own cash — or campaign funds raised specifically for that purpose — to cover his personal legal defense.

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Cuomo is now running for New York City mayor.Stefan Jeremiah

“This is money that he went into court to force taxpayers to spend for him, and what that gives him is an untapped spigot, a limitless amount to spend, not just on his own defense, but going after his accusers,” Lander told reporters. “Let’s be clear about this, Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 13 women, and now he’s legally harassing them, and he’s making taxpayers accessory to his harassment and bullying.”

Cuomo has repeatedly denied the harassment allegations, and sought to cast them as politically motivated, but nonetheless resigned as governor in disgrace in August 2021.

His rep called the $60 million figure the inflated result of creative accounting.  Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi argued much of the legal fees referenced in the state comptroller’s report were the result of James’ office opting not to rep them itself — forcing the state to hire outside law firms.

“Brad Lander should be more concerned about his ethical lapses stemming from his anti-Israel pension fund divestment strategy than about legal fees stemming from the AG’s multiple recusals,” Azzopardi told The Post.

He also noted that a Justice Department watchdog found in January that officials during the first Trump administration privately bragged about using their probe into whether Cuomo undercounted nursing home deaths during COVID to hurt the three-term Democrat politically, and help Trump, before the 2020 election.

“[T]o be clear not a single case ended up getting brought forward, no crimes ultimately were alleged, and the civil suits were either dismissed, dropped or are dying on the vine,” Azzopardi said.

Other Democratic primary opponents, including socialist state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdami and former city comptroller Scott Stringer, also called Cuomo out over the new numbers, with the latter saying that “Even after resigning when he was about to get the boot, New Yorkers are still footing the bill for his personal interests.”

Vladimer shared a letter she sent to DiNapoli on Feb. 11 calling on him to suspend payments to Cuomo’s legal team.

John Kaehny, executive director of the government accountability non-profit group Reinvent Albany, also called on the state comptroller and AG to act.

“It’s total insanity resulting from the shameless exploitation of a reasonable law by Cuomo and the Comptroller and Attorney General not doing all in their power to stand-up for taxpayers and common sense,” he told The Post.

https://nypost.com/2025/03/10/us-news/cuomos-scandals-have-cost-ny-taxpayers-whopping-60m-and-counting-in-legal-bills-bombshell-state-audit/