Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is calling on China to forgive its share of the U.S. debt, which she says would be a “good solid step” toward "restitution" for the loss of life and economic distress that Beijing's mishandling of coronavirus has caused America.
The virus started in Wuhan, China, and was first reported by Chinese officials in late-December. Some U.S. officials and others suspect China was later to make public the outbreak and under-reported the number of cases.
“We do know that there is a growing opinion among our colleagues that China needs to be, first of all, held to account for what they've done," Blackburn said in an exclusive interview with Just the News. "Secondly, they need to pay for what this has cost in life and livelihood and suffering and what it has cost our economy.”
China holds $1.08 trillion of the U.S. national debt, according to the most recent Treasury Department data. The debt held by the public is $18.2 trillion and the total debt, including intra-governmental holdings, is $24.2 trillion.
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