Trump Issues Executive Order Withdrawing U.S. From WHO
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2025 -- In one of his first presidential actions on Monday, President Trump issued an executive order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization.
The executive order retracts a Presidential Letter by President Biden on Jan. 20, 2021, revoking the original withdrawal by Trump in his last term on July 6, 2020. Reasons cited for withdrawing from the WHO include what the text of the executive order calls "unfairly onerous payments" from the United States, claiming they are out of proportion with other countries' assessed payments.
The executive order also cites the WHO's "mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic ... and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states."
In a statement, the WHO says it regrets the U.S. decision. "The United States was a founding member of WHO in 1948. ... For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication," the WHO states. "We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe."
The executive order has drawn criticism. Experts from the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., expressed concern with the decision. "The WHO has been a cornerstone of global health governance, facilitating international cooperation to combat pandemics, reduce health inequities, and strengthen health systems worldwide," Michele Bratcher Goodwin and Lawrence O. Gostin, cofaculty directors of the O'Neill Institute, said in a statement.
They added: "U.S. funding has been instrumental in supporting the WHO's pandemic response. Without it, the organization's ability to address global health emergencies will be significantly weakened, endangering health everywhere."
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