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ICYMI: Ernst Helps Spearhead Bipartisan Push for 9/11-Style COVID-19 Origins Commission

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), along with Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), recently introduced bipartisan legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and identify lessons learned regarding U.S. preparedness, response, and recovery to improve our ability to respond to future outbreaks. Additionally, the senators have introduced their bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
 
Ernst joined Trey Gowdy on Fox News to discuss the effort, stating: “The Communist Chinese do not want you to know the origins of COVID-19 because, certainly, it might lead to the discovery of nefarious activities by the Chinese...We’ve got Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Dianne Feinstein of California, and Roger Marshall of Kansas and I all working together on this bill...It is imperative that we find out how this started, and what we can do in the future to prevent it.”

 

Click HERE to watch.

 

Special Report covered the senators’ introduction of the bipartisan effort: “Led by Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democratic Sens. Diane Feinstein of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, this new commission would also examine not only the U.S. pandemic response and aim to ensure it never happens again, but it would also allow sanctions to be placed on laboratories that won’t cooperate and even against China.”

 

Click HERE to watch.

 

America’s Newsroom also reported on Ernst’s and her colleagues’ legislation:

 

Click HERE to watch.

 

Newsmax reported on the bipartisan group’s calls for the commission: “A bipartisan group of senators Tuesday called for a ‘9/11-style commission’ to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic began, the U.S. government’s response, and ways to prevent a similar tragedy. In a statement, Sen. Roger Marshall, the Kansas Republican leading the group, said a panel is ‘long overdue.’ Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York co-sponsored legislation to create the commission.”

 

Click HERE to read more.

 

The Washington Times referenced Ernst’s statement on the effort in their report: “Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York co-sponsored legislation to create the commission…‘The COVID-19 outbreak that emerged in Wuhan, China, nearly two years ago put the world into an unprecedented global lockdown, and to this day, the origins of the pandemic remain a mystery as China refuses to fully cooperate with international fact-finding efforts,’ Ms. Ernst said. ‘The American people and the world deserve answers, which is why I’m proud to join my colleagues across the aisle to create a bipartisan commission to get to the bottom of the pandemic once and for all — and ensure it never happens again.’”

 

Click HERE to read more.

 

The Washington Post’s Editorial Board penned an op-ed on the 9/11-style commission, which would provide Republicans and Democrats equal representation on the panel, writing: “This bill ought to be approved by Congress...The new legislation is sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). It hopefully will pick up more support soon…”

 

Click HERE to read more.

 

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