“This is exponentially worse than Chernobyl,” Scalise is expected to say during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, according to prepared opening remarks that were shared with Newsweek ahead of the meeting. “We should be coming together on a bipartisan basis to search for those answers and shine the light of transparency on the origin of this virus to the world on a bipartisan basis.”

The novel coronavirus was originally thought to have been transmitted to humans from animals, but there have been increasing suggestions that the pandemic started with an outbreak at a government lab in Wuhan, China.

Republicans in Congress have increasingly pushed for a deeper investigation into COVID-19’s origins—whether it was an accident, malpractice or an intentional leak.

“If this virus leaked from the Wuhan lab—and a growing mountain of evidence indicates that this is a real possibility—everyone in this country and around the world who has been touched by this evil virus deserves to know what happened and how it happened,” Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, will say, according to the prepared remarks.

Since the pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, COVID-19 has killed 600,000 people, shuttered schools and businesses for months, and discouraged widespread travel.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis is meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to discuss price inflation experienced, as the U.S. reopens from the pandemic with over 150 million people having been fully vaccinated.

More than 200 Republicans, including Scalise, have signed a letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to assign top committees to investigate COVID-19’s origins.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has tasked the intelligence community with investigating the coronavirus. Pelosi’s office has pointed to that probe and work from the Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee on the effort.

“The IC continues to investigate and study the two most likely scenarios for the virus’s origin—animal to human transmission or lab accident—but has not reached a community consensus,” Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said in a statement. “This aligns with the Committee’s understanding of the IC’s latest finished analysis on this particular question.”

Tuesday’s Select Subcommittee hearing can be viewed online here.