Political pressure is building to punish China for the coronavirus crisis, as leaders file lawsuits against the Chinese government and introduce legislation to let Americans sue the Chinese Communist Party in U.S. court.

U.S. senators this week filed the Stop China-Originated Viral Infectious Diseases (COVID) Act, which would allow Americans to sue China in U.S. court and seek damages for the coronavirus’s deadly and economic harm.

“What this would do is give those that have felt harm by COVID-19 — family members that have lost their life, people that have lost their livelihood, have had that adverse impact — they would be able to file a lawsuit against the Chinese Communist Party,” Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn said in a Twitter video. “Because they lied, they hid information, they were not transparent, and caused this global pandemic.”

This legislation would build on the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, and eliminate sovereign immunity for states that spread biological agents.

“This would allow those families a standing in court,” Blackburn said.

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act is the same act that let 9/11 families seek compensation from Saudi Arabia, she said.

Also this week, Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government, accusing officials of suppressing information and denying human-to-human transmission of COVID-19. That led to deaths and economic hardship in Missouri, the lawsuit in U.S. District Court states.

“COVID-19 has done irreparable damage to countries across the globe, causing sickness, death, economic disruption, and human suffering,” Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a statement. “In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real — thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table.

“The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease,” he said. “They must be held accountable for their actions.”

The lawsuit states that remedies could include civil penalties and restitution, cessation of abnormally dangerous activities and punitive damages.

Foreign policy experts warn, however, that suing China could open up the U.S. and Americans to lawsuits around the world.

“That would create more problems than it resolves,” said Ian Johnstone, professor of International Law at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

If the U.S. starts to seize Chinese assets, then the Chinese government would “easily retaliate,” said Harvard economics Professor Dwight Perkins.

While politicians file legislation and seek reparations, one action that would make China pay is if the U.S. sliced its economic relationship with the world’s most populous country, said American Enterprise Institute’s Derek Scissors.

“There will be more problems with China because they don’t tell the truth,” he said. “This is a very tragic example of why we need to have a limited economic relationship with a totalitarian government.”

The U.S. taking away a lot of Chinese business would mirror Britain looking to end its deal with Chinese tech company Huawei.

“Rolling back our relationship is going to cost more because we’ll have to pay more for products we push out of China,” Scissors said. “But that’s how you punish China.”