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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending funding for gain-of-function research that is believed to be connected with the spread of COVID-19 in China.
Trump’s order followed through on another campaign promise to protect Americans from the potential harms of gain-of-function research.
“Dangerous gain-of-function research on biological agents and pathogens has the potential to significantly endanger the lives of American citizens. If left unrestricted, its effects can include widespread mortality, an impaired public health system, disrupted American livelihoods, and diminished economic and national security,” the order stated.
“This recklessness, if unaddressed, may lead to the proliferation of research on pathogens (and potential pathogens) in settings without adequate safeguards, even after COVID-19 revealed the risk of such practices,” it added.
The new order aims to enhance the safety and security of biological research in the United States without hindering scientific innovation. For years, oversight of gain-of-function research involving pathogens and toxins has suffered from weak enforcement, limited transparency, and a lack of centralized control.
Researchers have often failed to recognize the potential societal risks associated with this type of work. Under the Biden Administration, gain-of-function research proceeded with minimal oversight, including federal funding for life-science projects in China and other foreign nations.
According to a White House fact sheet, recent policies like the 2024 U.S. Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (DURC/PEPP) and the Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening, have proven inadequate by relying heavily on self-reporting and failing to safeguard public health sufficiently. In response, this executive order halts research involving infectious pathogens and toxins that may threaten American lives until stronger, more transparent safeguards can be established.
The order instructs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Advisor to collaborate with funding agencies to craft a new policy within 120 days. Unlike previous guidelines, the new order includes concrete enforcement and reporting provisions designed to improve oversight and prevent researchers from exploiting vague or lenient interpretations to bypass biosafety and biosecurity standards.
