The Senate passed legislation Wednesday evening that would require the Biden administration to declassify all intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and possible links to the origins of the COVID-19 virus, in light of the weekend report that the Department of Energy (DOE) that concluded the coronavirus pandemic likely stemmed from a lab leak.
The bill, introduced by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Wednesday.
The measure now moves to the House, where House Democrats signaled Wednesday that they oppose the bill after arguing that matters of declassification should be made by the executive branch.
"We believe in letting committees of jurisdiction guide the discussions ahead, working with the administration and asking the administration tough questions," House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Wednesday.
"And when we can do that in a way that can be shared with the American public we will, but declassification conversations are best left to the executive," he said.
Still, with Republicans holding a slim majority in the House, the measure is likely to succeed.
