No Who Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the United States must never relinquish its sovereignty. Without question, we must work to ensure that, in the eloquent words of President Lincoln during the ``Gettysburg Address'': ``This government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.''

The power bestowed upon our government is derived from the will of the American people, not by foreign governments or organizations that syphon away our money as if we were a cash cow.

Foreign entities, such as the World Health Organization, or WHO, should never be allowed to corrode America's sovereignty and hand down edicts to the American people. We chart our own course, and we will not be deterred from doing so.

We should be even more skeptical of foreign entities, like the WHO, that are bedfellows with Communist China. China and its international cabal of bureaucrats would love nothing more than to have the United States follow their direction and the direction of their puppets like mindless lemmings.

They are hell-bent on controlling our God-given freedoms at the expense of our livelihoods. This cannot and will not be allowed to stand.

My amendment strengthens the underlying bill to ensure that H.R. 1425 will slam the door on any attempt to allow international bureaucrats at the WHO to undermine U.S. sovereignty and the will of the people.

My amendment clarifies that no WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, or response can have any force or effect in U.S. law before or unless the Senate ratifies such a treaty.

This includes the clarification that no WHO agreement may be used to establish standing to sue under U.S. law or to challenge U.S. agency actions. Only if the American people's Representatives have spoken, with two-thirds of the Senate ratifying any WHO agreement, should it be allowed to have any impact on U.S. law.

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I am, frankly, surprised at my colleague for opposing an amendment that does nothing more than strengthen this piece of legislation. This amendment ensures that we do not violate our national sovereignty. I think it is the right thing to do.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I reiterate what I said a few minutes ago. I respect my colleague from New York (Mr. Meeks), but what harm does it do to put belts and suspenders on a bill?

The gentleman says it is not needed. It takes up a few words more. It is not going to have any negative effect on the national debt, but it makes it abundantly clear that no organization, particularly the WHO, can order this country to do anything under any kind of an agreement without a vote of the United States Senate, as we would do with any kind of treaty or other agreement.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment, strengthen the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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