The U.S. officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization on Jan. 22. Leaving a worldwide organization that serves the people and responds to health crises is a mistake, risking the lives of countless people around the world.
The WHO is the United Nations agency that connects countries, promotes international health and coordinates responses to global health issues. Founded in 1948, it is an essential organization for disease control and medicinal research programs.
When President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term on Jan. 20, 2025, he signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO due to the agency’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost exactly one year later, the withdrawal is complete.
Trump’s decision raises several concerns as it could disastrously jeopardize the health of Americans and global citizens.
Experts are worried that the withdrawal will hinder America’s ability to develop vaccines, medicines and treatments against new threats and outbreaks. The WHO has accomplished life-changing achievements such as the eradication of smallpox, establishment of the International Health Regulations and founding of the Expanded Programme on Immunization.
“In my opinion, it’s the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime,” Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, said to AP News.
In the order, Trump said the reason for withdrawal was due to the WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms.” While the pandemic was a fearful and time-sensitive global crisis, it was also new. To completely withdraw from the WHO based on a worldwide event with severe extenuating circumstances is not a sound decision. The WHO and other public health organizations were inevitably bound to make mistakes as they tried to combat an unknown virus that was causing widespread health issues.
“The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization is a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments,” Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said. “Global cooperation and communication are critical to keep our own citizens protected because germs do not respect borders.”
Several international WHO initiatives could be at risk, such as the work to eradicate polio and promoting maternal and child health programs, because the U.S. contributes funding to them and participates in crucial decision-making. The U.S. will no longer participate in WHO-sponsored committees, possibly indicating that it will not take part in global flu information-sharing which influences vaccine decisions.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said government funding to the WHO has been terminated, which is a devastating loss considering that the U.S. has historically been the agency’s largest donor. From 2022-2023, the U.S. contributed $1.284 billion, which is about 15% of the WHO’s budget.
The cease to funding is even more concerning, knowing the U.S. still owes the WHO more than $270 million. In order for a country to leave the WHO, it must give one year’s notice — which the U.S. did — and pay all outstanding dues — which it has not, and experts do not expect that it will.
The HHS said the U.S. will continue to be a global health leader despite the withdrawal, claiming it already has over 2,000 staff members in 63 countries and bilateral agreements with hundreds of nations. The HHS added that there are plans to work with other organizations, but no details have been released yet.
Even if this strategy succeeds, one might question whether it will have the same global impact that the WHO has had since its founding nearly 80 years ago.
If a country were to rejoin, it would have to accept the WHO Constitution and get approved by a simple majority vote of the World Health Assembly, but the HHS said the U.S. has no plans to return.
Some, like Gostin, believe Trump overstepped his authority by leaving the WHO. Since the U.S. joined by way of Congress, it should take an act of Congress to withdraw.
The U.S. leaving the WHO is a dangerous decision because healthcare is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
This story was written by Rachel Lopera. She can be reached at [email protected].
