Tell us, who was president in December 2017?
Who was President on January 9 when the new guidance was issued?
Background
On October 17, 2014, the U.S. Government
announced that it would be instituting a funding pause on gain-of-function research projects that could be reasonably anticipated to confer attributes to influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses such that the resulting virus has enhanced pathogenicity and/or transmissibility (via the respiratory route) in mammals.
During the funding pause, the U.S. Government undertook a deliberative process to assess the potential benefits and risks associated with these types of studies. Completion of the deliberative process resulted in the Department of Health and Human Services issuing the HHS P3CO Framework on December 19, 2017.
The HHS P3CO Framework is responsive to and in accordance with the "Recommended Policy Guidance for Departmental Development of Review Mechanisms for Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight" issued on January 9, 2017 and supersedes the previous "Framework for Guiding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Funding Decisions about Research Proposals with the Potential for Generating Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses that are Transmissible among Mammals by Respiratory Droplets.”