U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin led the entire Senate Republican conference in calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw his support for two international agreements that are pending approval at this month’s World Health Assembly. The agreements grant vast authority to the World Health Organization over health decisions, something that constitutionalists are concerned could weaken United States sovereignty.
Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski both signed the letter, as did all Republican senators. While the rest of the senators’ names were in alphabetical order, Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, were tacked on after Sen. Todd Young’s name, perhaps an indication of a reluctance on their part to challenge Biden.
The letter highlights the WHO’s abysmal Covid-19 response and argues that the president should focus on badly 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.
“Some of the over 300 proposals for amendments made by member states would substantially increase the WHO’s health emergency powers and constitute intolerable infringements upon U.S. sovereignty,” the letter said.
The failure of the WHO’s pandemic response was “as total as it was predictable and did lasting harm to our country,” the letter said, adding that senators “are deeply concerned that your [the Biden] administration continues to support these initiatives and strongly urge you [President Biden] to change course.”
If Biden ignores the senators’ warning to back off from the agreement, “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.”
The pandemic agreement being negotiated by 194 member states of the WHO has at least three general aspects, including creating a “more equitable global response” to pandemics, enhancing cooperation between countries, and strengthening national health systems.
The Biden Administration supports agreement conceptually, and has been active in negotiations. WHO member states scheduled a vote on the final version of the agreement during the World Health Assembly meeting, which starts on May 27 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Ashley Bloomfield of New Zealand, who heads up the working group on the proposed agreement, said, “The work to bolster our global defenses against public health emergencies and risks, through agreeing a stronger set of International Health Regulations, reflects both the risks our highly interconnected world faces today, and the recognition and readiness of countries to ensure their citizens are better protected.”
Working Group Co-Chair Dr. Abdullah Assiri said the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations are readily implementable and recognize the importance of equity in ensuring effective global response.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed the world that viruses of pandemic potential do not respect national borders,” Assiri said. “Amending the International Health Regulations reflects the critical need to bolster our collective defenses against current and future public health risks so people’s health, societies and economies can be better protected, all whilst firmly respecting and adhering to the principle of national sovereignty,” he said.
Learn more about the status of the agreement at this WHO website.
Nobody from Europe is going to tell me what shot I have to take for their screw up in a bio lab.
It is not a ‘screw up’, it is by design. Remember, they hate you and want your genes eliminated from the gene pool.
Biden’s staff will take that letter and use it to clean up while changing his Depends
Not near enough pages for that gnarly task since it was only signed by Republicans…..
DJT is the one wearing diapers these days!
Does not mean Biden’s staff will not use the letter for the purpose identified in the original comment.
I am shocked they did the right thing.
I guess a broken clock is right twice a day.
Lol I was just thinking that I am shocked also!
Right? Something’s up, because they’re puppets tryna avoid prosecution for mass crimes against humanity.
Just because they may have done the right thing on this one does not excuse all the wrongs that they have done against humanity…both of them. Elephants never forget.
The 3 people that the Biden Administration sent to negotiate the “Pandemic Agreement” approximately 300 amendments were never confirmed by the Senate, thus they lacked the requisite authority to act on our behalf and are fraudulent. In fact, the creation of the WHO in 1948 , and with the adoption of the International Health Regulations in 1969, and the 2005 Amendments, along with the 2022 Amendments that are being looked at now, they followed the EXACT same pattern. NO U.S. Senate confirmation of the participants on our behalf. It is all fraudulent, and WHOLLY tryannical in nature.
Even Lisa Murkowski dared not foist it upon us. Wise on her part.
This has ZERO to do with “public health” and is a mastermind scheme to control. As stated in the letter: constitute intolerable infringements upon U.S. sovereignty,”. That right there is the agenda. “health” is only a means to get there.
Murky gets one right!
Congratulations Frank, smart kid.
How did the Democrat Senators respond to this one world move Suzanne?
Maybe our state legislature should follow lead of Louisiana and pass legislation declaring the who treaty null and void. Do not comply
While we are at it let’s ban lab grown meat please. About as bad a choice as fauci being in charge of our health system.
Lab grown meat isn’t cost effective, likely never will be. Forced vegan or insects. Perhaps soylent green.
Now this is amazing move!
Good, get out of the UN and the Paris Climate Accord too.