Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, introduced a bill Wednesday that could withhold U.S. funding to the World Health Organization for pandemic-related purposes.
WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, is working on an agreement for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
Barrasso’s bill would prohibit U.S. money for WHO actions pertaining to that agreement unless the U.S. enacts a treaty to join the accord.
That means the president and two-thirds of the Senate would have to be on board with the WHO plan, which is currently in draft form, for any U.S. money to be spent on anything WHO does pursuant to the plan when finalized.
“We cannot allow [WHO] to spend American tax dollars on another failed pandemic response,” said Barrasso, the No. 2 ranking Republican in the Senate, in a statement. “Their blatant partisanship and incompetence during COVID-19 was inexcusable. The mishandling of the pandemic has caused lasting damage to our country’s health and economy.”
Barrasso’s statement did not say what exactly he considers WHO’s failures to be. Attempts to reach the senator were unsuccessful as confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks were consuming senators’ time.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic, shown Barrasso’s legislation and his statements, did not respond specifically to those.
But Jasarevic did tell Cowboy State Daily that WHO “will do everything to cooperate with the incoming U.S. administration to continue to strengthen global health security.”
“WHO values greatly its relationship with the U.S. and is committed to maintaining and strengthening it,” Jasarevic said.
The U.S. government is WHO’s top donor, according to the organization’s website. Germany’s government is second, followed by the Bill & Melina Gates Foundation.
The most recent numbers on the website show a $1.3 billion U.S. contribution for a two-year period, 2022-2023.
Barrasso’s bill is called the “Defending American Sovereignty in Global Pandemics Act.”Cosponsors include Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, Idaho Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and several others.
Barrasso cosponsored similar legislation in the last Congress.
