On Friday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden, urging the President to restrict travel between the U.S. and China until U.S. health experts have more information regarding the mysterious respiratory disease that is rapidly spreading throughout China.
“[W]e should not wait for the WHO to take action given its track record of slavish deference to the [Chinese Communist Party],” the senators wrote. “We must take the necessary steps to protect the health of Americans and our economy. That means we should immediately restrict travel between the United States and the [People’s Republic of China] until we know more about the dangers posed by this new illness. A ban on travel now could save our country from death, lockdowns, mandates, and further outbreaks later.”
“In light of an unknown respiratory illness spreading throughout the People’s Republic of China (PRC), we call on you to immediately restrict travel between the United States and the PRC,” the Senators wrote. “As you know, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long history of lying about public health crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP’s obfuscation of the truth, and lack of transparency, robbed the United States of vital knowledge about the disease and its origin.”
“At this moment, the world faces another unknown pathogen emanating from the PRC that could spread to other countries, including the United States,” the Senators continued. “The PRC has reported an increase in this mystery illness—which it claims to be pneumonia caused by known pathogens—since mid-October. This illness reportedly is a special hazard for children and has overrun hospitals in the north of the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is unclear if the disease is due to an overall increase in respiratory infections or separate events. If history is any indication, we have cause to be concerned.”
Joining Sens. Tuberville and Rubio on the letter were Senators J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Rick Scott (R-Florida), and Mike Braun (R-Indiana).
The sudden rise in respiratory illnesses in children has sparked concern from hospitals in northern China. The virus has been called “walking pneumonia.” It is continuing to spread through parts of China and severely affect health services, as cases of “white lung pneumonia” continue to rise.
The WHO has asked China to share information on the outbreak. Officials in China insist it is not a new disease but rather a combination of different respiratory illnesses that occur during the winter. China was previously criticized for failing to share information about COVID-19.
Tuberville has represented Alabama in the United States Senate since 2020.
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