Renee Parsons
As House Republicans revolted against Speaker Johnson’s new 1500 page Continuing Resolution with a potential shut down of the Federal Government, the ensuing debate could not help but recall pertinent elements within the Farewell Address by retiring US President David Eisenhower in January, 1961 as he prepared to hand over the White House to newly elected President John F. Kennedy.
While some of this may be familiar, what is startling is the depth of insights and discernment that Eisenhower expressed evoking specific warnings that have proven to be more than just astute but eerily prophetic and worth reading the entire document.
Here are a few brief essential declarations:
“In the councils of Government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, sought or unsought by the military industrial complex. The potential for disaster rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”
“A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our military today bears little relationship to any of my known predecessors in peacetime. Until the latest of our armed conflicts, the United States had no armed industry. We have been compelled to create a vast military industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States corporations.
Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Akin to and largely responsible for our sweeping military posture has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted by, for or at the direction of the Federal Government…
Today the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task force of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research.
Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a steadily increasing share has been directed by, for and at the direction of the Federal government,a substitute for intellectual curiosity,…. The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present — and is gravely to be regarded …we must also be alert to the danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific technological elite. “
“It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system- ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.”
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Without a formal House debate or a majority of the House having not read and understood its contents, the massive CR created $130 billion of new spending leaving a $2 Trillion shortfall as the debate threatened a government shutdown until Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20th.
Upon scrutiny, the proposed CR included funding for a surprise salary increase ($174K to $243K) for Members of Congress as well as equally alarming language for the HHS Secretary to establish a series of new bioweapon labs:
“Sec. 629 Regional Biocontainment Research Laboratories
“….shall make awards to establish or maintain, as applicable, not fewer than twelve regional biocontainment laboratories for the purpose of – (1) conduct biomedical research to support public health and medical preparedness for rapid response to biological agents including emergency infectious diseases;”
In other words, all of those ‘not fewer than twelve’ bio labs were going to be on the campus of American universities.
Sec. 629 as part of the CR also contained the “Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act” which was buried deep within Title VI of the CR. S 2333 was introduced in the Senate in July, 2023 by now-former Senator Robert Casey (Pa.) but was never adopted.
There are currently thirteen (RBL) ‘regional biocontainment laboratories’ located at Colorado State University, George Mason University, Duke University, Rutgers University, Tufts University, Tulane University, U. of Alabama, U. of Chicago, U of Louisville, U. of Missouri, U. of Texas, U. of Pittsburgh, and U. of Tennessee.
There are two (NBL) ‘national biocontainment laboratories’ located at Boston University and the University of Texas.
All fifteen biocontainment laboratories are known for work on ‘emerging’ infectious disease which may indicate the presence of the controversial gain-of-function trials since it is difficult to understand how ‘emerging’ disease does not require or benefit from the gain-of-function tests. All biocontainment laboratories are located at leading US universities as all receive substantial annual funding by the NIAIDto be equipped with state of the art and an ability to perform gain of function
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It might be easy to overlook the Rocky Mountain Laboratories located in rural Hamilton, Montana until reading Biolab of the Month prepared by the Tenpenny Report. Funded by NIAID which has been long time association with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the RML has 36 acres with thirty buildings and 450 employees. RML was first of its kind, since 2008, to have all four BSL states in one building. A biosafety level is based on the level of risk associated with handling of micro-organisms and available facilities
In 2019, RML was one of the first to receive a novel Covidvirus sample to study before it was a full fledged pandemic.
It was not RML’s first exposure to Covid when in 2018 a researcher from Wuhan visited RML to conduct ‘potentially risky research.’ In 2022, Eco Health Alliance which has been banished from the NIH was named a partner in cross transmission regarding coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci as NIAID Director since 1984.
As a result, Congress has inquired about what other pathogens the lab is working on, whether gain of function research is being used to enhance infection potential and past security breaches.
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The National Institute of Health was originally founded in 1887 as the Hygienic Laboratory to study bacteria. Today the NIH is responsible for biomedical and public health with an annual research allocation budget of $47 Billion and over 18,000 employees. The NIH biomedical practice refers to western or mainstream medicine stressing standardized, evidence-based treatments validated through biological research with treatment administered by formally trained licensed practitioners. Today the NIH promotes fluoride to fight tooth decade and lithium to treat bipolar disorder in addition to vaccines.
NIH is part of the Department of Health and Human Services which received $144 Billion in discretionary funding and $1.7 Trillion in mandatory funding in 2024 with over 10,000 employees and an average salary of $123,000. As of 2023, nineteen organizations received at least $500 Million in NIH funding with Johns Hopkins leading all US universities for total NIH funding of over $840 million in awards.
Of the top fifty universities receiving annual NIH research grants, the majority are in New York and California with 24 other Democrat states receiving the majority of research funding: Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Washington state, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Wisconsin as funding levels have shifted little since 2021 to 2024 with four states receiving the bulk of funding.
In 2023, the perennial John Hopkins University won top funding spot with $842 Billion as the following top twenty universities were not far behind. In addition, three non-university institutions received substantial NIH grants: Leidos Biomedical Research at $866 Billion, Massachusetts General Hospital at $675 Billion and Research Triangle Institute at $550 Billion. It would be good to acknowledge that these nine figure funding awards are on a yearly basis; many of the same universities will return next year for their annual ‘endowment.”
Renee Parsons served on the ACLU’s Florida State Board of Directors and as president of the ACLU Treasure Coast Chapter. She has been an elected public official in Colorado, staff in the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, an environmental lobbyist for Friends of the Earth and a staff member of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC.