U.S. lawmakers ready sanctions bill for foreign officials concealing coronavirus info

FILE PHOTO: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers plan to unveil a bill this week to give the Trump administration the power to impose sanctions on foreign officials who distort information about the coronavirus, amid accusations that China misled the world over the scope of the deadly disease.

Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley drafted the legislation, which allows the government to revoke visas, block U.S. property and bar future travel to the United States for foreign government officials who "deliberately conceal or distort" information about a public health emergency such as the coronavirus.