United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has claimed that the US has funded more than 120 biological laboratories across over 30 countries, adding that details of the programme were deliberately concealed from the American public.
In a statement released by her office, Gabbard said her office had uncovered “longstanding” US government support for a global network of biolabs engaged in research on biological pathogens, including some classified as hazardous and highly contagious. “The information surrounding the existence, history, locations and funding of these US-funded biolabs has been intentionally covered up by powerful people,” she said, accusing officials of dismissing critics as “foreign assets and traitors”.
According to her office, some of these laboratories are located in Ukraine, where they face potential risks due to the ongoing war with Russia. The agency added that US intelligence had previously warned that at least one such facility in Ukraine housed dangerous pathogens and could be vulnerable to attack or seizure.
Gabbard further alleged that several of the laboratories have conducted gain-of-function research – a controversial field involving the modification of organisms to enhance their transmissibility or virulence – with limited oversight.
Her remarks come after President Donald Trump, in May 2025, signed an executive order aimed at ending federal funding for gain-of-function research globally, citing potential risks to public health and national security.
However, while Gabbard described a network spanning more than 30 countries, the declassified material released alongside her statement identified only four laboratories in Ukraine. The locations and operational status of the remaining facilities were not specified.
The US government has historically funded overseas biological research under programmes such as the Cooperative Threat Reduction initiative, which was designed to secure and dismantle remnants of Soviet-era chemical and biological weapons infrastructure.
US officials have long maintained that such programmes are focused on public health, disease surveillance, and preventing the proliferation of biological weapons.