The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday to ensure President Joe Biden, potential successor Kamala Harris, or any other executive does not unilaterally enter the United States into a future “pandemic treaty” binding it to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.).
The “No W.H.O. Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act,” introduced by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) in 2023, is a response to efforts beginning in 2021, at the height of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, to create some form of international binding legal document, spearheaded by the W.H.O., regulating how nations handle international health emergencies, including pandemics.
A draft version of the accord exists but, as of May 2024, W.H.O. member states have not agreed on a final document to implement as international law. Critics have warned that such a document would present a threat to the national sovereignty of party nations, as provisions debated for the treaty include mandated “equitable” distribution of medical intellectual property and granting the W.H.O. greater power to declare medical emergencies in countries, potentially without the consent of the relevant government.