The House Freedom Caucus on May 23 demanded that President Joe Biden “halt ... efforts to empower the World Health Organization (WHO)” and return to President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the controversial body.
In July 2020, Trump signed an order initiating a withdrawal of the United States from the WHO, which has been criticized for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. At the time, Trump accused the WHO of covering for the Chinese regime, which Trump said was hiding the true scope of COVID-19 cases within its borders.
Days after taking office, the Biden administration reversed the withdrawal order, one in a series of actions that Biden took to undo Trump’s executive policies.
Now, members of the House Freedom Caucus, which is currently led by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), are calling on Biden to change course and push for “serious reforms” to, or restart the process of withdrawing from, the WHO, which they accused of “rampant corruption and ineffectual leadership.”
The letter continued: “As the 75th World Health Assembly meets in Geneva this week, your administration is expected to propose amendments to the WHO International Health Regulations, the set of rules governing responses by the agency and its member states to international public health emergencies.
“Reportedly aimed at targeting China’s manipulation and obstruction of WHO throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these amendments in fact empower the same individual most responsible for enabling that nation’s malfeasance: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Not only did you fail to propose an alternative candidate to Dr. Tedros, who is expected to be elected to a second term without opposition this week, you are now attempting to hand him more control.
“We call on you to instead use the 75th World Health Assembly as an opportunity to demand a radical course correction and change in leadership,” the lawmakers wrote.
They also expressed concerns that efforts to negotiate a “global pandemic treaty” among WHO member states could threaten U.S. sovereignty.
“Furthermore, as efforts continue by WHO Member States to negotiate a ‘global pandemic treaty,’ we demand that you provide the American people with total transparency and respect for our nation’s sovereignty,” the caucus wrote. “Under no circumstances should you cede our government’s operational control in a public health emergency to an international body.”
“In the event any agreement is reached on a ‘global pandemic treaty, we expect you to fully comply with Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which clearly states that ’the President shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.’”
The letter highlights a concern that has been at the forefront for many Republicans for decades: the concern that international bodies like the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and other bodies like them pose a serious threat to the United States’ ability to govern its own affairs.
The concern was one that Trump tapped into during his 2016 campaign and presidency.
While in office, Trump was heavily critical of the UN and NATO, which he said unfairly exploited U.S. taxpayers since other member nations were not paying their fair share. Trump also withdrew the United States from various international agreements signed under President Barack Obama, most prominently the Paris Climate Accords and the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Though he is out of office, many Trump-adjacent Republicans have continued to push against deals they consider encroachments on U.S. sovereignty.
Biden, however, has given loud support to these international organizations and agreements. His move to strengthen the WHO is only one of many executive actions Biden has taken to restore the pre-Trump status quo.
If a “global pandemic treaty” is reached, it is unclear whether Biden will seek the support of the Senate for its ratification. If he does not, he could find himself facing legal action from disgruntled Senate Republicans.
Such a treaty could face trouble in passing the equally-divided Senate, where it will need the support of at least 10 Republican senators to be properly ratified under the terms of the Constitution.
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