An overwhelming majority of American voters oppose the Biden administration's proposal to expand the World Health Organization's authority over health care decisions in the United States, according to new polling data obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon.
More than 60 percent of likely voters said they are strongly opposed to the administration's WHO proposal, which could give the international health organization authority over the U.S. president and federal government in declaring health emergencies, according to the poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group.
Republicans were united in opposition to President Joe Biden's proposal, with nearly 88 percent opposed and just under 10 percent in favor. Democrats were more split on the issue, with almost 38 percent opposed and almost 49 percent in favor. Unaffiliated voters in the survey were more aligned with Republicans, with 76 percent opposed and just 15 percent in favor.
The Biden administration's proposed amendments to WHO's International Health Regulations would change the organization's methods of surveilling and determining a public health emergency. Among other things, the amendments would allow WHO's director-general to decide what constitutes a crisis without input from member countries. The decision comes as the WHO fell out of favor with many countries during the coronavirus pandemic for its subservient attitude toward China, where the global pandemic originated.
"A lot of people understand that the WHO is controlled largely now by the Chinese government," said Convention of States Action president Mark Meckler, whose group commissioned the poll. "I think a lot of people understand that the WHO covered up the dealings of the Chinese Communist Party in regards to the pandemic."
WHO contradicted its own COVID-19 pandemic timeline, initially saying China came to the health organization with information about the virus before revealing that international health officials discovered the virus through information posted to a U.S. website.
The international public health agency has repeatedly prioritized the agenda of the Chinese government. The United States withdrew from the organization during the Trump administration, but Biden reversed the decision.
Meckler said the poll shows Americans are concerned because WHO recommended two years of mask mandates and lockdowns. Federal government power over private health decisions is dangerous, Meckler said, especially when a pro-China international body is calling the shots.
The Trafalgar Group conducted the poll, which has a 2.9 percent margin of error, from May 25 to May 29.