House Republican requests details on upcoming WHO treaty to enhance authority in future pandemics
House Republican lawmaker Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) has demanded clarity from the Biden administration on a WHO treaty expanding pandemic response capabilities. Gooden, along with other House Republicans, seeks details on the proposed treaty set for a vote at the World Health Assembly. Concerns arise over potential power expansion of the health organization in managing future pandemics. House Republican Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) requests transparency from the Biden administration regarding a WHO treaty enhancing pandemic response. Gooden and fellow House Republicans aim to understand the implications of the treaty up for voting at the World Health Assembly, raising concerns about the expanded authority of the health organization in future pandemic management.
EXCLUSIVE — A House Republican lawmaker is demanding answers from the Biden administration regarding concerns about a proposed treaty being considered by the World Health Organization that would expand the agency’s abilities to respond to future pandemics.
In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) is leading a group of House Republicans to press for information related to the proposed pandemic treaty, which is expected to be voted on during the World Health Assembly at the end of this month. The Texas Republican expressed concerns with the agreement, arguing it would unnecessarily expand the powers of the health organization while doing little to prevent another pandemic.
“The treaty colorfully expresses some of WHO’s lofty aspirations (arrived at without fulfilling even a basic standard of due diligence) while disregarding fundamental concerns over its own administration and conduct in international geopolitics,” Gooden wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by the Washington Examiner. “While WHO receives public funding, it also receives substantial funds from private sources whose contributions allow them to influence and profit from the organization’s health decisions.”
The letter comes in response to a recent pandemic treaty drafted by the 194 member states of the WHO. The agreement seeks to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics” by implementing provisions that would streamline response strategies and communications in the event of a future pandemic.
However, the proposal has prompted concerns among some who say it would require countries to cede control to the WHO and give the agency power “to declare and impose extensive lockdowns, collude with Big Tech to censor and control information, and regulate international travel,” according to the letter.
However, some public health experts have resisted concerns that the treaty would allow the WHO to impose lockdowns and other policies unilaterally, with the WHO director general calling those claims “completely false.”
“We don’t have the power to do that,” Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this year. “We don’t want it. We’re not trying to get it.”
Lawmakers have also expressed concerns about a provision in the treaty that states the WHO should receive 20% of the production of pandemic-related products such as tests, treatments, and vaccines. That proposal originated from the vaccine gap that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic between high-income and developing countries.
Several Republicans have argued doing so would surrender U.S. intellectual property rights, prompting the House GOP lawmakers to press for answers on whether entering into the agreement would allow China to displace the United States as a major, viable intellectual property market.
The group of lawmakers outlined a number of other questions they want to see answered by the agency to ensure there is no opportunity for “abuse of power, which will only intensify with the advent of the ‘pandemic treaty.’” These questions include whether the implementation of a treaty would impose financial costs or burdens on the Treasury or if compensation will be provided to patent holders who develop pandemic-related products.
“At this time, we oppose granting any additional authority or resources to the WHO that would compromise the sovereignty of the United States,” the letter states. “Additionally, we are opposed to granting WHO any additional authority until there is a full and complete investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic and WHO’s role in covering up the Chinese government’s likely role in its origin.”
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At least nine GOP lawmakers have signed on to the letter, which was also sent to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Those lawmakers include Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
The Washington Examiner contacted spokespeople for both Blinken and Becerra for comment.
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