House Democrats shot down legislation that sought to declassify intelligence surrounding the origin of COVID-19 Tuesday evening. House Democrats defeated the Covid-19 Origin Act in a 216 to 207 vote.

The legislation was introduced to the Senate in May by Sens. Josh Hawley and Mike Braun, where it passed unanimously.

Townhall reports:

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) brought the COVID-19 Origin Act to the House floor for consideration with Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) explaining its importance shortly before Democrats voted down the measure Tuesday night.

“The best disinfectant is sunlight and that’s what we can provide today,” Wenstrup explained of the COVID-19 Origin Act. “The bill first establishes that we must identify the precise origins of COVID-19 because it is critical for preventing a similar pandemic in the future.”

“I cannot stress enough that this bill is not controversial by any means,” Wenstrup continued. “In fact, it passed the Senate in May with unanimous consent — not one senator objected. Not Senators Ted Cruz or Rand Paul, not Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. If those four members can get on board with this bill, should not we be able to do the same?”

Rep. LaHood further explained the legislation’s purpose, saying it “would require the Biden administration Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence information related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology — also known as the Wuhan lab — and the origins of COVID-19 in order to better prepare and avoid future pandemics.”

The vote came after Sen. Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci accused each other of lying about COVID-19.

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