(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is among House Republicans questioning co-authors of an academic paper on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper was published in March of 2020, just as government shutdowns were being ordered. The scientists concluded it was unlikely that the strain of the coronavirus had been created in a lab, but had spread from wild animals to humans. “It’s not as conclusive as you’d like us to believe that it emerged through nature,” Miller-Meeks says.

Miller-Meeks says understanding the origins of COVID helps officials prepare for the next pandemic. “The international community and scientists in particular have a vested interest in understanding what type of laboratory research is done and what type of laboratory safety, ” Miller-Meeks said. “Critically important.”

Miller-Meeks made her comments during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Republicans on the panel have accused the scientists of covering up the origins of the virus. Democrats on the panel accuse Republicans of pushing a partisan narrative and attacking public health officials.