Katko’s Push for Beijing Boycott Gains Momentum

WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued the below statement following reports that the U.S. State Department will “discuss our common concerns and establish our shared approach” with allies as it relates to a potential boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This represents the most significant acknowledgement by the Administration to date of the untenable reality of holding the Olympic Games in a country actively committing genocide.

“The world is watching our next move. Now is not the time to let up. The only thing aggressors understand is strength and now is the time for the United States to project just that. It’s incumbent upon us to shine light on the atrocities taking place in China against the Uyghurs and the Chinese Communist Party’s multifaceted and multidecade campaign to undermine our security and way of life. The world should be calling out the CCP’s acts of genocide, not giving it a platform to host the world’s most time-honored competition.

“For months now, I have urged the Biden Administration to match their actions with their rhetoric around holding the CCP accountable as the greatest 50 year threat to our homeland. Our athletes deserve to compete in this honored tradition. It’s time to move the Olympics to a country that embodies democracy and the spirit of the Olympic charter. The Games just cannot be held in China.”

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