WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is calling on the Chinese government to take responsibility for its abject failure to be forthright about the severity of its COVID-19 crisis at its inception. She is joined by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) who led bipartisan companion resolution in the House of Representatives.

“Chinese officials destroyed early COVID-19 test kits, suppressed information and refused international assistance,” Senator Blackburn said. “The Communist Party is so petrified of the truth that they kicked out journalists and fabricated a story of where the virus originated. It’s time the Communist Party admits to the serious missteps that heightened the severity and spread of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The Chinese Communist Party wasted precious weeks on a cynical coverup instead of containing the China virus at its epicenter,” said Senator Cotton. “Our first priority after protecting Americans must be holding China accountable for unleashing this plague on the world.”

“As the Chinese Communist Party pushes propaganda and lies to try and blame the United States for coronavirus, we need to make the case to the world that China is ultimately responsible for this outbreak. They tried to cover-up news of the virus, jailed doctors warning of a possible pandemic, and prevented the CDC from coming to study the disease. In all, they cost the globe two months in time to prepare for this virus. I hope this begins a conversation about how China can be held accountable for their negligent coronavirus response,” said Rep. Banks.

 The resolution calls on the Chinese Government to:

• Publicly state there is no evidence that COVID-19 originated anywhere else but China;
• Denounce the baseless conspiracy that the US Army place COVID-19 in Wuhan;
• Revoke its expulsion of American journalists;
• End its detainment of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted ethnic minorities; and
• End all forced labor programs.

The resolution also condemns:

• The Chinese Government censorship of doctors and journalists during the early days of the outbreak and its treatment of the deceased Dr. Li Wenliang;
• The Chinese Government’s refusal to allow scientists from the Centers of Disease Control to assist in response to COVID-19 for over a month after cooperation was offered;
• China’s duplicitous denial of the person-to-person transmissibility of COVID-19.

Lastly, the resolution calls for the World Health Organization Director-General to retract highly misleading statements of support for the Chinese Government’s response to COVID-19, especially his praise for China’s “top leadership, and the transparency they have demonstrated.”

The House resolution is also cosponsored by Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), Jim Hagerdorn (R-Minn.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Will Hurd (R-Texas), Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Lance Gooden (R-Texas), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and John Joyce (R-Pa.).

Please find the text of the Senate resolution here.