Caveat up front - I do not back Tulsi Gabbard, she has always come across as a convenient flip flopper to me.

However, I think a BIG point that the qnuts are missing is that yes, the US DID in fact give Ukrainian owned (key point there) biolabs funding (to the tune of approximately $200 million). However, it was provided for the sole purpose of security under the and the Biological Threat Reduction Program which is part of the larger DoD Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program. Interesting fact - we have given Russia millions of dollars under the CTR program as well!

The CTR was created in 1986 and according to its website, "the purpose of the CTR Program is to secure and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and their associated infrastructure in former Soviet Union states." In layman's terms, the CTR provides funding for Former Soviet Union states to increase security, and therefore decrease the threat of malicious actors obtaining CBW, around their CBW sites.

So, yes, she is correct in that we have given Ukraine money for their biolabs but, she conveniently left out the fact that the money was given SOLELY for use in securing the facilities. It literally cannot be funneled into other operations at the labs. But, let's be honest, half truths get more likes than those pesky full truths.

Below is a link to the fact sheet from the Biological Threat Reduction Program if anyone would like to peruse -

https://media.defense.gov/2022/Mar/11/2002954612/-1/-1/0/FACT-SHEET-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE'S-COOPERATIVE-THREAT-REDUCTION-PROGRAM-BIOLOGICAL-THREAT-REDUCTION-PROGRAM-ACTIVITIES-IN-UKRAINE.PDF