Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Representative Dan Crenshaw on (R-Texas) introduced legislation that would permit Americans to sue China to recover damages for harm caused by the Wuhan Virus, Breitbart reports.
“By silencing doctors and journalists who tried to warn the world about the coronavirus, the Chinese Communist Party allowed the virus to spread quickly around the globe,” Cotton, an Army veteran, said in a statement.
“Their decision to cover up the virus led to thousands of needless deaths and untold economic harm. It’s only appropriate that we hold the Chinese government accountable for the damage it has caused,” he added.
The bill titled ‘‘Holding the Chinese 5 Communist Party Accountable for Infecting Americans 6 Act of 2020,” asserts: “The bill makes clear that covering up the virus and causing it to spread faster or further than it otherwise would have can be considered a tortious act,” according to the announcement.
If passed, the bill would give the U.S. a means to get China to pay for the damage it has caused.
“We need to hold the Chinese government accountable for their malicious lies and coverup that allowed the coronavirus to spread across the world,” Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, said in a statement. He went on to say:
“The communist regime expelled journalists, silenced whistleblowers, and withheld vital information that delayed the global response to the pandemic. Simply put: their actions cost American lives and livelihoods. This bill will help ensure China’s actions are not without consequences.”