Big Sky Times

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 21 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to President Biden opposing World Health Organization (WHO) agreements that could give the organization unprecedented powers over the United States. In the letter, Knudsen expressed concerns that the proposed agreements could threaten national sovereignty and citizens' freedoms. The attorneys general highlighted that such agreements would shift public health decision-making power from elected representatives to the WHO's Director-General, potentially leading to civil liberties violations in the future.

"The proposed amendments would threaten national sovereignty, undermine states’ authority, and put the freedoms granted by the Constitution to United States citizens at risk," Attorney General Knudsen stated in the letter.

The attorneys general emphasized that the WHO should not have the authority to dictate public health policies in the United States, and that any delegation of such authority would require approval by the U.S. Senate. They also raised concerns about the potential establishment of a global surveillance infrastructure under the pretext of public health protection, which could lead to control reminiscent of China's "social credit system."

"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed fundamental flaws with the WHO and other public health institutions. These entities breached public trust and are unquestionably in need of reform. The proposed measures, however, would only exacerbate the WHO’s underlying problems and enable more civil liberties violations during future emergencies. Accordingly, we will resist any attempt to enable the WHO to directly or indirectly set public policy for our citizens," the attorneys general concluded.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia also joined Attorney General Knudsen in sending the letter to President Biden.