COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023
Key claim: The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify and submit to Congress an unclassified report on all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19, with redactions only as needed to protect sources and methods.
Abstract
(S619 · 118th Congress) COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to declassify all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19. The ODNI must submit to Congress an unclassified report with all such information with redactions only as necessary to protect sources and methods. Latest action (2023-03-20): Became Public Law No: 118-2.
Why this matters
The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 is a rare statutory override of intelligence classification, compelling ODNI to release information on a specific foreign research facility rather than leaving disclosure to executive discretion. It sets a precedent for Congress mandating targeted declassification on public-health-linked intelligence questions and shapes how ODNI balances transparency against sources-and-methods protection.