Loeffler Urges State Department to Address China’s Crackdown on Free Speech

Says Chinese Censorship Worsened Spread of Coronavirus

ATLANTA, GA – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) joined four of her colleagues in urging the State Department and the United States Mission to the United Nations to address the crackdown on free speech by China and other countries amid the coronavirus outbreak.
 
In sending the letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Representative to the United Nations Kelly Craft, Loeffler joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). 
 
The senators wrote: “It has become clear that some leaders are utilizing the virus as a guise to enforce their own illiberal agendas, suppress the free flow of information, increase digital surveillance, and quash dissent. The most visible – and devastating – effects of this practice are seen in China, the origin of the pandemic. We now know that suppression of information and censorship of criticism gave room for the virus to propagate and spread. In a March 13 analysis, researchers found that Chinese COVID-19 cases could have been reduced by 86% if measures had been taken two weeks earlier...
 
“Now, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using this public health emergency as a thin veil to cover a crackdown on peaceful dissent and freedom of speech…Sadly, China is not unique in its utilization of the pandemic as an excuse to institute surveillance measures or draft new laws that are not necessary, proportionate, transparent, or time-bound…
 
“Therefore, we call on the Department of State to document acts of harassment, arrest, increased surveillance, or other forms of suppression or criminalization by regimes in retribution for those nation’s citizens expressing their freedoms through media, social media, peaceful assembly, or other peaceful means. These cases should be raised bilaterally at the highest levels. Similarly, we call on the United States Mission to the United Nations to raise the profile of this alarming trend multilaterally at the United Nations, to include leading requests for a dialogue or briefings at the U.N. Security Council.”
 
The full text of the letter is available here. 
 
Loeffler has asked the administration to take steps to assist Georgians during the COVID-19 outbreak, including:
 
Loeffler urged the administration to ensure farmers have access to vetted, temporary workers.  
Loeffler asked the administration to prioritize funding to rural hospitals. 
Loeffler asked the administration to automatically qualify seniors for the $1,200 cash payments as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as opposed to requiring seniors to file tax returns to receive the payment. The U.S. Department of Treasury then clarified seniors will receive automatic payments.    
Loeffler urged the administration to expedite the processing of visas for foreign nurses to ensure rural communities can hire more nurses and continue to care for those in need.
Loeffler asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to allow at-risk Georgians to receive certain infused and injectable treatments at home to prevent their exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Loeffler asked the Small Business Administration to provide clarity for Georgians farmers and small business owners applying for CARES Act loans.
Loeffler urged the Treasury Department is give states flexibility to bring relief to Georgia communities more quickly.