Untitled episode

minutes of questions thank you Mr chair and Mahalo for your leadership and I Echo the comments of our colleagues today and thanking you for your um your service sadly we have heard too often dangerous claims that withdrawing from the World Health Organization would somehow make the world safer for Americans and hold the PRC accountable make no mistake a return to the Trump administration's isolationist Approach to

want we need China Under the Tent versus operating in a blind spot Republicans repeated attempts to gut Global health programs including domestic programs at the CDC that track the outbreaks of emerging diseases and fight biot terrorism will not keep Americans safe in fact just the oppos opposite Donald Trump's dissolution of the National Security council's Global health unit which was monitoring cases of a deadly flu strain

in China and an outbreak of yellow fever in angolia just prior to the pandemic did not keep Americans safe and in one of the most egregious Global Health decisions of all Donald Trump's attempts to haunt us funding and withdraw from the World Health Organization were not only a national embarrassment but also sent a signal to our competitors that the United States was willing to abdicate our

Global Leadership amb bador Kangas you previously served at the World Health Organization including during the pandemic how did Donald Trump's decision to cut us funding for the W and pull us out of the organization shape perceptions of the United States and in what ways might this have actually elevated the prc's influence and interest within the organization thank you Congress woman for that um statement and and

the question uh I must State very clearly that uh we we always have to have a seat at the table is the only way that we can influence and uh uh the issues and protect our interests is the only way we can influence the issues and protect our interest we are not at the table because we want uh to uh just be generous but because we

are truly wanting to protect our interest when we the United States isn't at the table others will take a place our competitors are waiting for such an opportunity to influence uh the discussion the dialogue and teed even in their favor I think we should not and should never accept that to happen and just for the record um congresswoman I was uh I've never worked at the

wh uh so my comments are totally uh uh transparent I was an special invoy for covid for Africa during the covid very early days of covid until I was nominated for for this position position so I've been an Envoy but not work at wh but you're absolutely right we should always have our seat at the table and use that seat to protect our interest and to

advance our interest in global Health security thank you for that clarification there Ambassador and and I would also argue that we've heard a lot today on this dis about the prc's elevated influence within the who and I would argue that that probably happened as a result of the United States vacating its position upon the who so again we should always have that seat at the table

uh at least someone else take it from us um we're thankful that President Biden has moved quickly to reverse the Trump administration's harmful decision even if the damage has already been done assistant secretary Pace as a senior official regularly engaged with the who what is your assessment of how our country is still recovering on the international stage from the harmful decision to cut us funding and

withdraw from the wh well thank you madam congresswoman for this very important question because you us leadership is quite essential in this space and um just turning back to the negotiations for example it took quite a bit um for us to bring countries along um with our proposal to amend the international Health regulations um I think to this day um we feel there is quite a

bit of skepticism with regards to whether or not the US is entering those conversations in good faith honestly I think we um know here our intentions and the importance of improving um those existing regulations but there are still questions about our intentions um and our um staying power if you will um an important aspect of those regulations as well includes helping build or rebuild the capacity

of countries around the world to actually Implement them and adhere to them um and so um one important question that countries have and continue to have of us is whether the us will continue to be a part of that technical assistance even Beyond funding the enduring relationships that we've had that my colleagues have described are essential and so we have tried to ensure those member states

that we are here um again in service to Americans but also in ways that hopefully will benefit the world thank you very much and and no doubt we have a lot of work to do to um again rebuild that trust uh and that presence on the global stage and no doubt um attempted cuts to funding is not helping in ensuring those other member countries that we

have the staying power that we should have to ensure uh Safety and Security the health and accountability overall for Americans and others across the globe so thank you very much Mr chair and I yield back my time