CV NEWS FEED // The House Foreign Affairs Committee has voted to advance legislation that would require Senate ratification before President Biden can sign the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Treaty.
The vote was cast on July 11, with support from Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ.
The “No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act” (HR 1425) would classify any international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response reached by the World Health Assembly as a treaty.
This classification would require such agreements to be sent to the Senate for advice and consent.
According to a press release, the legislation passed by a narrow majority (24-23) and will now proceed to the House Floor for consideration and voting.
Smith, who serves as chair of the House Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee, said that he and his colleagues have been advocating since day one for the Biden Administration to protect U.S. sovereignty from unelected WHO officials and to ensure that the proposed WHO Pandemic Treaty is sent to the Senate for thorough review before any agreement by the U.S. government.
According to the press release, Smith has been at the forefront in Congress addressing the significant issues surrounding the proposed treaty,
Smith emphasized that they will not approve any agreement that lacks clear financial commitments, highlighting concerns about the current WHO proposal’s unspecified financial obligations and the need to protect American taxpayers from being exploited.
“It is an absolute affront to our sovereignty to hand over critical health authorities to these unelected bureaucrats—with no accountability whatsoever—and empower them to dictate policies to U.S. medical professionals and U.S. taxpayers,” said Smith.
“Using potential pandemics as a pretext to violate the principles of good governance erodes trust and undermines international cooperation when it is most needed,” he concluded.
