Diplomatic boycott of China's 2022 Olympic games pushed by lawmakers over human rights concerns

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Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., has introduced an amendment to the annual State Department funding bill that would create a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China over the communist country’s ongoing genocide of its Uyghur minority.

The amendment, cosponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., states that no funds may be used to allow any U.S. officer or official to attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

REP. MIKE WALTZ DEMANDS THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS COMMITTEE MOVE THE BEIJING GAMES

The measure was under consideration by the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, ABC News first reported.

"It would have a significant impact on the United States sending an official delegation," Waltz told ABC News. "When this administration and the last administration have both said officially and unofficially that there's an ongoing genocide [in China], I can't imagine that we would send a delegation at all." 

Waltz pointed out that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke out in support of a diplomatic boycott of the games in May, declaring at the time that "silence on this issue is unacceptable" and it "enables China's abuses."

Waltz said he plans to also introduce an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would cancel contracts with any U.S. companies participating in the games.

"We’ve been asking the [International Olympic Committee] to move the games out of Beijing now for a couple of years and they’ve had plenty of time to do so," Waltz told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday. "But now that we’re just months away, I don’t see how we fly the American flag in Beijing after they are literally conducting genocide as we speak. 

"Millions of Muslim leaders in concentration camps, modern-day slavery is going on," he continued. "Not to mention the millions around the world that are dead because of COVID, people being snatched out of their homes in the middle of the night with Hong Kong. And how can our corporations sit here and talk about social justice but then turn a blind eye and sponsor these games? We need to make a stand and we should not be going."

Waltz’s proposals come after a bipartisan group of lawmakers issued a letter last week to the IOC demanding that the games be postponed and relocated to a different country or else face a U.S. boycott.

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"No Olympics should be held in a country whose government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity," reads the letter to IOC President Thomas Bach, signed by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Reps. James McGovern, D-Mass., and Chris Smith, R-N.J.

"Earlier this year, the State Department determined that the Chinese government’s actions constitute genocide and crimes against humanity. We have seen no evidence that the IOC has taken any steps to press the Chinese government to change its behavior," the letter states. "This action would also be in the best interests of the athletes. We find it unfair for the IOC to force athletes to sacrifice their consciences in order to pursue their competitive goals, or vice versa."