Young Joins Request for Information on WHO’s Role in Helping China Cover Up Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today joined Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) requesting information ahead of a Congressional hearing to investigate the WHO’s role in helping the Chinese Communist Party cover up information regarding the threat of the Coronavirus. 

As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral Institutions, which has jurisdiction over World Health Organization (WHO), Senator Young also sent a letter to WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week calling on the Director General to appear before his subcommittee for a hearing on the WHO’s response to coronavirus.

Read today’s letter HERE and below. 

Dear Dr. Tedros:

We write regarding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) role in helping the Chinese Communist Party cover up information regarding the threat of the Coronavirus. Despite calls from Congress for the WHO to complete its own in-depth analysis on the extent of the Coronavirus, we are unaware of any action thus far.

Ahead of an anticipated congressional hearing, we write today to request information regarding the WHO’s failed and delayed response to the Coronavirus. American taxpayers fund the WHO, and it is up to us to make sure those taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. Therefore, we ask that you please address the follow questions:

1.      What protocols and procedures did the WHO have in place for epidemics, suspected pandemics and pandemics prior to December 2019?

2.      Please outline what steps were taken by the WHO, in accordance with protocols and procedures for epidemics, suspected pandemics and pandemics, as a result of the Coronavirus?

3.      When did the WHO first know China had cases of a potential “SARS-like virus”?

4.      When did the WHO team first arrive in China to start investigating the Coronavirus?

5.      Who at the WHO was in charge of coordinating Coronavirus response with the Chinese Communist Party?

6.      Do any members of WHO leadership receive financial compensation outside of their WHO salaries? If so, please describe.

In addition, we would like to request all records and documents from WHO leadership containing the following information from October 1, 2019 to March 12, 2020:

• Electronic records, emails, hard drives and text messages related to the Coronavirus.
• Any printed documents related to the Coronavirus.
• Data compiled, analyzed and requested from the Chinese Communist Party related to Coronavirus.
• Data received from the Chinese Communist Party related to Coronavirus.
• Documents describing your research related to the Coronavirus.

WHO Leadership includes:

• WHO Director-General
• Chef de Cabinet
• Executive Directors
• Chief Scientist
• Assistant Directors-General
• Advisors to the Directors-General
   

American taxpayers deserve answers about how their taxpayer dollars are spent, and whether Congress should continue to spend millions of dollars every year to fund the WHO. Please provide your response by Monday, April 27.

Sincerely,

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