U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cosponsored the Senate version of the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday by a bipartisan vote of 219-199.
The bill would protect American sovereignty against the World Health Organization’s (WHO) intergovernmental negotiating body. It would require that any convention or agreement by the negotiating body related to pandemic prevention or response is deemed a treaty. A treaty requires the advice and consent of a supermajority of the Senate.
“The American people never agreed to be governed by an intergovernmental body headquartered an ocean away—so we must protect America’s sovereignty against overreach by the World Health Organization. Our legislation will prevent future attempts by WHO to unilaterally determine what our country can and cannot do during a pandemic,” said Senator Fischer.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) led the introduction of the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act in the Senate, and U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) led its introduction in the House of Representatives. In addition to Senators Fischer and Johnson, the legislation is cosponsored by all 47 of their Republican colleagues.