Sen. Johnson: White House’s Plans for WHO May Threaten U.S. Sovereignty

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) warned Wednesday that discussions between the U.S. government and the World Health Organization (WHO) risk giving the health organization more power over public health decisions in the U.S. despite the group’s questionable actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Appearing on “Washington Watch,” Johnson said, “The World Health Organization failed miserably in its responsibilities during the pandemic.” He accused the group of “covering up for China” as the communist nation sought to obfuscate the virus’s origin and even its existence early in the pandemic.

“And so now we are going to give them even more power over future pandemics?” he continued March 1, telling Family Research Council president and “Washington Watch” host Tony Perkins that is exactly what is under discussion.

According to a February 27 WHO news release, a group has been established to draft and negotiate an international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization “to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”

The American public needs to “understand exactly what the Biden administration is up to and how they just may be bargaining away our national sovereignty in certain areas,” Johnson stressed. “You don’t reward an organization like the WHO by giving them more power,” he said.

Perkins noted he was unaware of any situation in U.S. history “where we would give this much power to an international organization to dictate what happens in our country.”

Johnson, who is the ranking member on the Senate Permanent Committee on Investigations, has introduced a measure in the U.S. Senate that would ensure that whatever comes out of the WHO process must be approved by the Senate as a treaty.

The senator introduced the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act in the Senate last month. This bill would require any agreement hammered out by the Biden administration with WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body to be legally considered a treaty. Such a move would require the approval of a supermajority in the Senate before the U.S. could become party to such an agreement.

The legislation comes as the WHO continues to move the pandemic treaty process forward and is expected to present a draft to member states later this month.

Johnson said what is reportedly under discussion would give the WHO nearly unilateral authority to declare a pandemic. “What they’re talking about is having, for example, the U.S. contribute dollars to a new international organization without proportional voting control,” he said. “They’re talking about requiring the U.S. to give up 20% of any kind of pandemic supplies, whether it’s medicines or whether it’s personal protection equipment.”

Perkins applauded Johnson for his bill, saying the legislation would be a “backstop” to any efforts by the administration to give more authority to the World Health Organization, suggesting the international efforts to expand the WHO’s reach is “more about advancing this global world order than it is [about] protecting people from infectious diseases and viruses.”

While there is a need for an organization dedicated to world health, it would be best, Johnson said, to have a good world health organization “that is not corrupt [and] does not get captured by China.”

“That really could help effectively rein in epidemics or pandemics,” Johnson explained, “but that’s not what the WHO is. It is just another bloated international organization run by a bunch of leftists kowtowing to the Chinese.”

Johnson and Perkins noted the February 28 Wall Street Journal report that a U.S. Energy Department classified intelligence report has now concluded a mishap in a Chinese laboratory likely led to the Covid pandemic. This release, along with FBI Director Chris Wray’s affirmation in a Fox News interview of the FBI’s belief that the origin of Covid was a leak in a China lab, is even more impetus for Johnson’s bill.

“We need to nail down what the origin was. We need to get the evidence. We need to have investigations on not only on the House side but also from the Senate,” Johnson insisted. “We need cooperation from our federal agencies, from our intelligence community. We need to get to the bottom of this.”

Member nations of the World Health Organization, including the U.S. are also updating the WHO International Health Regulations 2005 with a focus on “enhancing capacity building, especially in low-income countries; access to benefits arising from sharing pathogens; equitable access to medical countermeasures; and enhanced cooperation and information sharing.” According to a press release from the WHO, the amendment process is a “response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”