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By Hugh Cameron
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has responded to President Donald Trump's recent executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the organization, warning that this move may undermine its core mission.
WHO, a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on international public health, on Tuesday said it "regrets" the announcement made by the White House.
Why It Matters
The United States is WHO's largest state benefactor, providing 15.6 percent of its overall revenue in the most recent 2022-2023 biennium period, followed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at 12.7 percent.
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The U.S. withdrawal, which will involve a pause on funds being sent to WHO, will add to the organization's financial difficulties after just last week it issued an emergency funding appeal seeking an additional $1.5 billion to address global health challenges.
When contacted for comment, the WHO directed Newsweek to Tuesday's press release. Newsweek has also reached out to the White House for comment.
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What To Know
"We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe," the organization's statement read.
Established in 1948, WHO currently works with 194 nations, including the U.S., and is focused primarily on global health emergencies.
In 2021, Trump initiated the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the organization, citing as reasons its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its failure to adopt "urgently needed reforms" and demonstrate its independence from the political influence of China.
President Biden retracted the move on his first day in office, writing a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in which he stated that the WHO "plays a crucial role in the world's fight against the deadly COVID–19 pandemic as well as countless other threats to global health and health security."
On Monday, however, Trump signed an executive order revoking Biden's decision. On top of the criticisms, leveled during his previous administration, Trump wrote that the WHO "continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries' assessed payments."
What People Are Saying
Lawrence Gostin, an academic specializing in global health law and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, wrote on X that Trump's executive order was "riddled with legal & factual errors."
He pointed out that the decision does not adhere to the one-year notice period mandated by Congress's 1948 joint resolution authorizing the presidents acceptance of WHO membership, and which also stipulated that the U.S. must meet its financial obligations for the current fiscal year before halting payments.
"He's unraveling US engagement & funding now," Gostin wrote. "That's unlawful & a grave strategic error."
"Along with withdrawing from WHO, Trump is likely to slash global health funding. That means for HIV, sexual health, polio eradication & health emergencies," Gostin said in another post. "Trump could be sowing the seeds for the next pandemic."
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Dr. David Hamer, a Professor of Global Health and Medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health, and told Newsweek that he was "very concerned" by the decision, which would exacerbate the WHO's long-term struggle with "chronic underfunding."
"If we suddenly stop [funding], that's going to really hurt WHO operations," Hamer said. "WHO does a lot of guideline policy development, education, a lot of important things for global public health, and if their efforts are going to be curtailed then the potential impact may be great over time on public health programs in low and middle income countries."
Hamer added that the WHO's ability to respond to future public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic "is going to be limited and maybe slowed down," and that this could impact the U.S.
"If there's a big outbreak, it can affect U.S. travelers, U.S. citizens living overseas, or it can be imported to the United States and lead to a potential outbreak."
Asked why he believed Trump had signed this executive order so early into his presidency, Hamer said that this was likely due to his failure to fully withdraw from the organization during his first term.
"He couldn't get what he wanted before," Hamer said, "so now he's going to try and get it."
Others, however, celebrated America's departure from the WHO, one prominent pro-Trump X account writing: "THIS is what WINNING LOOKS LIKE. THE WHO is a Medical Terrorist Organization that should be ABOLISHED for committing Crimes Against Humanity."
What Happens Next?
While Trump's previous effort to withdraw from the WHO was thwarted by Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, including this action in his list of Day 1 executive orders significantly increases the likelihood that the U.S. will now formally exit the organization.
There is debate over whether Trump can unilaterally end America's commitments to the WHO without Congressional approval. A Congressional Research Service report, released during Trump's initial withdrawal attempt, outlined various ways Congress could potentially restrict or condition such a move. However, with Republicans controlling both houses, even if Trump's decision encounters legal challenges, it could still proceed.
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