Poll: Most Agree with Congressional Investigation on Coronavirus Origins and Gain-of-Function

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Alex Wong, STR/AFP via Getty Images

Most likely voters agree with a congressional investigation focusing on the origins of the coronavirus and the government’s role in funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Wednesday found.

The survey asked respondents, “Do you agree or disagree that Congress should investigate to ‘finally get answers to the [COVID-19 virus] origins and the federal government’s gain of function research that contributed to the pandemic’?”

Most, 66 percent, at least somewhat agree that Congress should engage in that investigation, and of those, 45 percent “strongly” agree. About a quarter disagree with that investigation, and another eight percent remain unsure. 

Perhaps most significant is the fact that the prospect of this investigation has bipartisan support, as 55 percent of Democrats agree with it, as do 79 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of independents. 

The survey also found 66 percent across the board expressing the belief that the virus likely originated in the Wuhan lab — a sentiment shared by 49 percent of Democrats, 80 percent of Republicans, and 69 percent of independents. 

Further, the survey showed 48 percent disapproving of Biden’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and 51 percent expressing an unfavorable view of Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

The survey was taken January 26-29, 2023, among 900 likely U.S. voters and has a +/- 3 percent margin of error. It comes as the GOP-led House prepares to find answers to many of the lingering questions regarding the coronavirus.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last week announced the members of the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, which Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) is chairing. He is no stranger to prioritizing the origins of the coronavirus, having released a statement in December following a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) report investigating that exact subject.

“The American people are owed answers about the origins of COVID-19. Our report states that COVID-19 may have been tied to China’s bioweapons research program and that the Intelligence Community (IC) withheld key information from the American public’s authorized elected officials, deepening public mistrust,” he said at the time.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is hitting a slightly different angle, holding a public hearing on Wednesday looking into pandemic spending and examining where, exactly, taxpayer dollars went.

“We owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history,” committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said.

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