...
By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The United States officially departed the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, completing a process initiated by President Donald Trump following his second inauguration.
Newsweek reached out to the World Health Organization and the White House via email on Thursday afternoon for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump alarmed health experts just one day into his second administration when he signed an executive order that started the U.S. exit from the global health agency. The agency operates through the collaboration of its 194 member states, which collectively determine global health priorities and coordinate responses to health crises.
Read More on News
Trump previously tried to exit the agency during his first administration, giving notice of the withdrawal in January 2020, but President Joe Biden rescinded that order upon taking office in 2021. Trump renewed his effort to exit the agency when he in turn resumed office in 2025, partially because he blamed the WHO for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic.
...
What To Know
The U.S. will complete its exit this week, which requires a one-year notice and $260 million in penalties that the U.S. has not paid, according to Reuters. The U.S. enacted a law requiring it to give that notice and pay those fees, passed in 1948 as 22 USC 290c.
The subchapter on the bill states that the U.S., "in the absence of any provision" from the agency outlining an alternative process for withdrawal, reserves the right to exit the agency following a one-year notice and, "provided, however, that the financial obligations of the United States to the Organization shall be met in full for the Organization's current fiscal year."
The $260 million fee cited would account for dues owed by the U.S. for 2024 and 2025.
The U.S. State Department said that the WHO's failure to contain, manage, and share information had cost the U.S. trillions of dollars, and Trump's decision fell well within his authority to pause any future funds, support, or resources to the WHO.
...
"The American people have paid more than enough to this organization and this economic hit is beyond a down payment on any financial obligations to the organization," a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
The U.S. has traditionally been the agency's largest financial backer, accounting for around 18 percent of overall funding.
Member states are set to discuss the U.S. departure and how to handle the loss of the substantial support the U.S. provided. The discussion will take place during an executive meeting scheduled for next month.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tried to convince the U.S. to reconsider its decision, saying that it would be "a lose for the United States, and it's a lose for the rest of the world."
The exit means the agency will need to cut up to a quarter of its staff over the coming months due to a lack of funding from the U.S., and the U.S. will no longer receive the health data provided by the agency, weakening its ability to collaborate on major crises and provide material support.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, then a private citizen, in a 2023 post on Truth Social: "The World Health Organization has become nothing more than a corrupt globalist scam paid for by the United States but OWNED and controlled by China. When the China Virus reached our shores three years ago, the World Health Organization disgracefully covered the tracks of the Chinese Communist Party every step of the way…"
Ilona Kickbusch, the founder and chair of the Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, told Newsweek last year: "It's a radical approach to leave WHO and cut its funding, as well as halting foreign aid overnight. The Trump administration is endangering the lives of many of the poorest people around the globe. Without health communities, we do not prosper socially and economically. Without health, the world is less secure as the rising number of outbreaks are clearly documented."
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines