U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research

The United States remains committed to advancing scientific innovation that improves the health, safety, and well-being of the American people. Biomedical research has produced lifesaving vaccines, treatments, and medical breakthroughs, but scientific progress must never come at the expense of public safety or national security.

The release of the United States Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research fulfills President Trump’s commitment to ensure that federally supported life sciences research serves the interests of the American people. This policy stops dangerous gain-of-function research that has the potential to threaten lives, disrupt communities, strain public health systems, and undermine America’s economic and national security if not properly restricted and controlled.

An America First approach to scientific research means ensuring that taxpayer dollars are never used to support dangerous gain-of-function research or proliferate any other bio risks — whether conducted in the United States or abroad. The new policy establishes a transparent, accountable framework that prohibits federal support for dangerous gain-of-function research, strengthens oversight of other high-risk life sciences research, and restricts funding for research conducted in countries that lack appropriate safety, security, and oversight standards.

Scientific leadership requires both innovation and responsibility. The United States will continue to support biomedical research that develops vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other lifesaving medical countermeasures while ensuring that the highest-risk research is subject to rigorous safeguards. We encourage our international partners to join us in ending dangerous gain-of-function research and adopting strong biosafety and biosecurity standards that make the world safer, more secure, and better prepared for future biological threats.