COVID–19 Accountability Act

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “COVID–19 Accountability Act”.

Table of contents— The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

The People’s Republic of China, including the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, has mishandled its management and response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (commonly known as “COVID–19”) in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva learned of pneumonia with an unknown cause, not from Chinese authorities, but from a United States-based listserv, Pro-MED, a platform for sharing early, open-source intelligence about potential epidemics.

On January 9, 2020, the Chinese Communist Party officially announced a coronavirus outbreak, 2 days after the World Health Organization announced an outbreak and 8 days after closing the Wuhan Hua’nan wet market.

The Chinese Communist Party continually suppressed medical information, such as early knowledge of the risk of human-to-human transmission of the SARS–CoV–2 virus, which causes COVID–19, from doctors and medical professionals while subjecting them to humiliating reprimands.

On January 20, 2020, the Chinese Communist Party finally acknowledged that the SARS–CoV–2 virus can be transmitted human to human, despite denials as recently as January 15, 2020.

On January 2, 2020, researchers in the People’s Republic of China completed a genomic analysis of the SARS–CoV–2 virus, but failed to share the results with the international community until January 12, 2020.

On January 6, 2020, officials from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered to visit the People’s Republic of China to help respond to the COVID–19 epidemic, but the offer was declined by the Chinese Communist Party, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were informed that United States medical researchers were not permitted to enter the People’s Republic of China until February 16, 2020, as part of a World Health Organization delegation.

The Chinese Communist Party exponentially increased the spread of COVID–19 domestically and internationally by continuing to permit international flights well after domestic quarantines were put in place.

The Chinese Communist Party contributed to the community spread of COVID–19 by, on January 18, 2020, permitting a 40,000-family potluck banquet in the Bubuting Community of Wuhan as part of the Lunar New Year festivities.

On March 12, 2020, officials within the Chinese Communist Party knowingly spread disinformation that the SARS–CoV–2 virus had originated with the United States Armed Forces.

COVID–19 has decimated the global economy, caused trillions of dollars in economic damage, and cost millions of United States citizens their jobs.

As of the end of April 2020, COVID–19 has—

to fully investigate the outbreak of the SARS–CoV–2 virus, including the role the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party played in withholding information and knowingly misinforming international organizations and countries impacted by COVID–19;

to ensure that the Government of the People's Republic of China immediately closes all operating wet markets that have a potential to expose humans to health risks through the introduction of zoonotic disease into the human population;

to draw international attention to—

to reduce the reliance of essential United States industries on the People’s Republic of China to fulfill supply chain needs.