Trump Administration Formalizes US Withdrawal from WHO

The administration of President Donald Trump announced Thursday it had formally completed the United States' exit from the World Health Organization (WHO), marking the end of a withdrawal process that spanned a year. The decision comes exactly one year after the Republican president signed an executive order to initiate the separation from the international health agency. The announcement was made jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the State Department.

As reported by ABC, a senior HHS official stated that the Republican administration concluded that WHO "strayed from its core mission and has acted on multiple occasions against U.S. interests in protecting the American public."

Federal health officials have been pointing to the organization's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as the main cause of the departure, arguing that the WHO was slow to declare the outbreak of a global health emergency. The White House has also sharply criticized the agency for what it described as unfair attacks on Trump, including objections to its early decision to restrict travel from certain countries.

HHS officials have also been expressing concerns in recent months about disparities in funding, noting that countries such as China contribute fewer financial resources than the U.S. government. Similarly, those officials have pointed out that, despite being the organization's largest donor, the United States has never had a U.S. citizen as WHO director general.

According to the World Health Organization, the United States still owes more than $130 million in outstanding commitments. Trump administration officials have acknowledged that there are still unresolved issues, such as the loss of access to international health data, which could serve as early warning of future pandemics.