Forty-nine GOP Senators are unified in their stance by submitting a formal request to President Joe Biden. They urged him to retract his support for two significant international agreements that are set to be debated later this month at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. The discussions, starting May 27, will revolve around what has been termed the “Pandemic Agreement” or “pandemic treaty,” as well as proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), which have pushed the control of “misinformation” and advocated for vaccine passports.
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
The Biden administration has thrown its support behind these proposals, which would see global health officials granted extensive control over the management of pandemics. However, the senators—all members of the Senate Republican Conference—argue that the WHO must first address its failures during the COVID-19 crisis, which, according to them, were both total and predictable. They believe these failures have caused significant damage to the United States.
Their letter emphasizes that no treaty should be signed nor amendments to the IHR approved without rectifying these shortcomings, which, if unaddressed, would potentially lead to increased authority for the WHO, undermine intellectual property rights, and endanger free speech.
Moreover, they pointed out a procedural concern: Article 55 of the IHR stipulates that any proposed amendment must be communicated to member states four months before the World Health Assembly. Yet, with the meeting fast approaching, the final text of these proposals remains undisclosed to WHO member states. This lack of transparency is alarming to the senators because some of the 300 proposed amendments could dramatically boost the WHO’s emergency powers, representing a grave threat to US sovereignty. Consequently, they declared, “Amendments are not in order.”
Leading this group, Senator Ron Johnson cautioned President Biden against supporting the WHO’s proposals without Senate approval, highlighting that such support could be perceived as treaty endorsement, which constitutionally requires a two-thirds Senate majority.
Their letter concludes with a firm plea for the President to: “withdraw your administration’s support for the current IHR amendments and pandemic treaty negotiations, shift your administration’s focus to comprehensive WHO reforms that address its persistent failures without expanding its authority, and should you ignore these calls, submit any pandemic related agreement to the Senate for its advice and consent.”
