Moderate Democrats call for 9/11-style commission to investigate COVID-19 origins

Members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of centrist Democrats, are calling on congressional leadership to move on legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

In a letter sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the group of moderates argued that the commission could play a key role in helping the country be better prepared in preventing and navigating a future pandemic. “We write to you to express our strong support for the passage of legislation establishing a national commission on the COVID-19 pandemic, modeled on the 2002 legislation creating the ‘National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,’ also known as the 9-11 Commission. We believe H.R. 6429 from the 116th Congress, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY), provides a good template,” they wrote.