Taking the Bull by the Horns Texas and Oklahoma are standing up to the World Health Organization. The two conservative states are suing the Biden administration over a public health rule they argue illegally gives power to the WHO. This information is according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
According to the complaint, the states are accusing the Department of Health and Human Services of “unlawfully” delegating the authority to declare a public health emergency in the U.S. to the WHO.
Texas will not allow relinquish the sovereignty of our state or country to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Thanks to our attorney general Ken Paxton.https://t.co/vUOBuHwgOr
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 20, 2023
They allege that a 2017 rule relinquished HHS authority to the WHO. This authority gave the foreign organization the ability to determine when there was a public health emergency involving a communicable disease in the U.S.
HHS’ definitions for the declaration come directly from the WHO, the complaint explains:
“The Department’s definition of ‘public health emergency’ … exceeds the agency’s authority, as it unlawfully delegates to the World Health Organization (WHO) the authority to invoke emergency health powers in the United States — infringing on U.S. and state sovereignty.”
Texas and Oklahoma worked together on a petition that in July demanded that the Biden Administration repeal the rule, a move they denied.
Texas & Oklahoma are suing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for “unlawfully” delegating the authority to declare a public health emergency in the U.S. to the World Health Organization (WHO). Every state should do this. https://t.co/5wCbx53pzY
— David Burke 🇺🇸 (@ConservativeTht) January 19, 2023
Now the states are seeking the court to intervene and declare the rule “unlawful” for depending on the authority of a foreign body.
Biden’s HHS secretary, Xavier Becerra, extended the country’s public health emergency over COVID-19 on January 11th under the advisement of the WHO. It has been in place since January 2020.
This is not the first time the WHO has faced scrutiny in recent years. Their reliance on China caused great tension and led former President Donald Trump to pull U.S. funding from the global health organization.
