The House Oversight Committee on Friday announced that the Department of Health and Human Services officially cut all federal funding and disbarred EcoHealth Alliance and its former President Peter Daszak for five years.

The company and Daszak allegedly facilitated and passed taxpayer money for to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which is a suspected source of COVID-19, and did so without proper government oversight, according to the committee. 

“Justice for the American people was served today," House Oversight Chairman James Comer said in a statement. "Bad actor EcoHealth Alliance and its corrupt former President, Dr. Peter Daszak, were formally debarred by HHS for using taxpayer funds to facilitate dangerous gain-of-function research in China. Today’s decision is not only a victory for the U.S. taxpayer, but also for American national security and the safety of citizens worldwide."

The decision comes after the department suspended EcoHealth Alliance's funding in May, and recommended a permanent ban on funding for the nonprofit. It also suggested the alliance's and Daszak's disbarment, because the nonprofit had repeatedly violated the terms of its National Institute of Health grant, but HHS did not made a final decision on the matter until Friday.

"Given that a lab-related incident involving gain-of-function research is the most likely origin of COVID-19, EcoHealth and its former President should never again receive a single cent from the U.S. taxpayer," Comer said.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.