Trump Once Again Directs US to Withdraw From WHO

Among President Trump's first actions upon taking office Monday was to order the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization. Trump similarly directed the country to leave WHO toward the end of his first term as president, but while he started the process of formally exiting, then-President Biden reversed the move upon taking office in 2021. By starting the process early, Trump should be able to finish it this time, USA Today reports. Trump has long railed against WHO, and his move to exit the health organization in 2020 came after much criticism on his part of how the agency handled the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Times reports.

The executive order directing the US withdrawal lists the pandemic as one reason, along with WHO's "mishandling of ... 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." The order also cites the "unfairly onerous payments" made by the US, which is the largest funder of the WHO and provided almost 20% of its budget in 2023. If the US exits, it will be the only major world power that is not a member, and health experts are warning that an exit could put the US at risk, particularly in the case of another pandemic. One big consequence would be the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer having access to WHO's global health data. (More World Health Organization stories.)