Bowling Green Today

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) recently joined forces with U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and the entire Senate Republican conference to send a letter to President Biden. The letter urges the administration to withdraw its support for two international agreements under consideration at this month's World Health Assembly (WHA). The senators argue that these agreements would grant more authority to the World Health Organization (WHO), which they describe as dysfunctional, and could potentially undermine United States sovereignty.

The senators highlighted the WHO’s inadequate response to COVID-19 and suggested that the President should focus on much-needed reforms instead of supporting international treaties and regulations that could significantly increase WHO's authority, compromise intellectual property rights, and infringe upon freedom of speech.

In their letter, the senators stated: “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.”

They pointed out that the failure of the WHO’s pandemic response was “as total as it was predictable and did lasting harm to our country.” They expressed deep concern that the Biden administration continues to support these initiatives and strongly urged President Biden to change course.

The senators concluded their letter by saying, “Should you ignore this advice, 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.”

Senators John Barrasso, M.D. (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), James Risch(R-ID) Mitt Romney(R-UT) Mike Rounds(R-SD) Marco Rubio(R-FL) Eric Schmitt(R-MO) Rick Scott(R-FL) Tim Scott(R-SC) Dan Sullivan(R-AK) John Thune(R-SD) Thom Tillis(R-NC) Tommy Tuberville(R-AL) J.D. Vance(R-OH) Roger Wicker(R-MS) Lisa Murkowski(R-AK) Susan Collins(R-ME) and Todd Young(R-IN) also signed the letter.

The full text of the senators’ May 1, 2024 letter to the President can be found here.