The Biden administration's U.S. Department of Agriculture has spent at least $1 million in taxpayer funds on "dangerous bird flu experiments" in cooperation with China, and at least one Republican senator is demanding answers. 

According to the New York Post, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) penned a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack demanding more information about the experiments involving "a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus."

Additionally, she wants to know why the experiments are being conducted in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wenjun Liu, a Wuhan Institute of Virology researcher.

Ernst's letter was obtained exclusively by the Post.

What did she say?

According to the report, the Biden administration awarded the grant from April 2021 to March 2026 to conduct experiments that involve "strains of avian influenza virus" that "pose the greatest risk to avian or human populations."

The Post noted:

The Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing will help with tests to infect vaccinated chickens, mallard ducks, species of Chinese geese and Japanese quail to evaluate the virus’s transmissibility and “potential to jump into mammalian hosts.”

Ernst's primary concerns are whether or not proper safeguards in are in place, given the dangerous elements of the experimentation. She's demanding departmental information regarding such policies.

"The health and safety of Americans are too important to just wing it, and Biden’s USDA should have had more apprehension before sending any taxpayer dollars to collaborate with the CCP on risky avian flu research," her letter read.

The Iowa senator added, "They should know by now to suspect ‘fowl’ play when it comes to researchers who have ties to the dangerous Wuhan Lab, and simply switching from bats to birds causes concern that they are creating more pathogens of pandemic potential."

"Here’s my warning: The Biden administration should be walking on eggshells until they cut off every cent going to our adversaries. We cannot allow what happened in Wuhan to happen again."

Avian flu must be taken seriously — not made more deadly in unsafe Chinese labs.

Not a cent more to risky research of pandemic potential by our adversaries.

We must have answers for any "fowl" play.https://t.co/LWsdJOw55B

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) February 16, 2024

Social media reacts

Users across social media reacted to Ernst's letter to Vilsack regarding the potentially dangerous experiments being conducted with China's help.

"We don't care. We probably funded it," one X user wrote.

The Republican senator from Iowa is right on the money. Given that it's being funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars, American citizens have a right to know exactly what's taking place and if there are any inherent dangers to the population as a result. Hopefully, she gets some answers.