Trump tried it in 2020 but couldn’t get it done before Joe Biden rescinded the withdrawal. What’s stopping him now?
In an executive order released today, newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump has signalled his intent to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization.
It’s not the first time Trump has made the move. In 2020 the US filed notice of its intent to withdraw because, the President claimed, the WHO had protected China in the early days of the covid pandemic.
The Biden administration rescinded the withdrawal notice on its first day in office.
Today President Trump started the withdrawal process, citing the same reasons – mishandling of the covid pandemic, failure to adopt reforms, inability to demonstrate independence, and demanding payments from the US that were “unfair” relative to other member states.
“The Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall take appropriate measures, with all practicable speed, to (i) pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO; (ii) recall and reassign United States Government personnel or contractors working in any capacity with the WHO; and (iii) identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO,” said the executive order.
“While withdrawal is in progress, the Secretary of State will cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States.”
According to STAT, if the US does in fact withdraw it will be the first time since 1948 that a member state has left.
Tom Bollyky, director of global health for the Council on Foreign Relations, told STAT the move was “an enormous mistake”.
“Americans have been made less safe by the president’s action today,” he was quoted as saying. He said the WHO plays “an irreplaceable role” in global outbreak response, and its ability to carry through with that role in future crises would be undermined by the US departure.
Former White House covid response coordinator Ashish Jha wrote in another STAT article that if the US left the WHO, it would lose any opportunity to bring about badly needed reforms.
“The WHO needs deep reforms,” wrote Mr Jha.
“But by exiting the WHO and pulling funding, the US loses any leverage to enact those reforms. And doing so would weaken the WHO, leaving the US less safe.
“Weakening the WHO would make it harder to contain outbreaks around the world and increase the risk of a local outbreak becoming a global one.
“Abandoning the organization would create a leadership vacuum that others, especially China, would surely fill — to our detriment and the world’s.
“Global disease surveillance would be diminished, along with our influence and expertise in global health policy, and our national security. And we would have no voice in helping shape or create a better, more effective WHO, which should be our goal.”