U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and the Senate Republican conference urged President Joe Biden against supporting two international agreements that would grant greater authority to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Next month, during the 77th World Health Assembly, your administration is expected to commit the United States to two international agreements that would strengthen the WHO’s authority to declare public health emergencies of international concern and expand the WHO’s authority over member states during such emergencies,” wrote the senators in a May 1 letter sent to Biden. “This is unacceptable.”
Sen. Young and his colleagues chastised what they called “the WHO’s failures” during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they said “did lasting harm to our country.”
“The United States cannot afford to ignore this latest WHO inability to perform its most basic function and must insist on comprehensive WHO reforms before even considering amendments to the International Health Regulations or any new pandemic-related treaty that would increase WHO authority,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply concerned that your administration continues to support these initiatives and strongly urge you to change course.”
Among the 48 Republicans who joined Sen. Young in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
According to their letter, the senators think Biden should be focusing on needed reforms rather than plowing ahead with international treaties and regulations that would substantially increase WHO authority, shred intellectual property rights, and infringe freedom of speech.
“Should you ignore this advice,” wrote Sen. Young and his colleagues, “we state in the strongest possible terms that we consider any such agreement to be a treaty requiring the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate under Article II Section 2 of the Constitution.”