Biden has not publicly said whether or not he’ll support the bipartisan bill. Some lawmakers on Friday warned against a veto.
Congressional lawmakers ramped up pressure on President Joe Biden to declassify intelligence about the origins of COVID-19, sending a bill to his desk that would require his administration to do so.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill, titled the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, in a 419-0 vote on Friday. Every House Republican and Democrat present supported the legislation.
The Senate likewise unanimously passed the legislation, introduced by GOP Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Mike Braun of Indiana, last week.
“Now the American people will be able to see what their government knows about COVID origins — and those who lied about it can be held accountable,” Hawley tweeted on Friday following the bill’s passage.
Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in China more than three years ago, the origins of the disease have been theorized and debated, often sparking political feuds. Speculation has swirled that the virus transferred naturally from animals to humans or accidentally leaked from a lab in China.
