President Donald Trump took steps to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) during his first day in office.
In an executive order issued hours after becoming the forty-seventh president, Trump blamed the WHO for “mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic” and called its required payments “unfairly onerous.”
Trump pointed out that China pays far less into the agency despite having at least 3 times the population of the U.S.
Trump accused the WHO of failing to enact “crucial reforms.”
The decision follows years of tension.
In 2020, Trump threatened to cut U.S. funding over the WHO’s initial response to COVID-19.
Former president Joe Biden blocked Trump’s push to leave the WHO on his first day in office in 2021.
However, Trump’s latest move will now take effect unless reversed again by a future U.S. president.
Critics warn that withdrawing from the WHO would deprive the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of early data on emerging threats.
When China released the genetic sequence of COVID-19, it did so through the WHO, which shared it with nations worldwide.
Some Republican lawmakers have also taken issue with the WHO’s proposed “pandemic treaty.”
Talks on strengthening outbreak rules stalled last year, partly because opponents saw it as a risk to American sovereignty.
Founded in 1948 with U.S. support, the WHO focuses on major health issues such as Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19.
Its annual budget is about $6.8 billion, with the U.S. typically contributing around $500 million.
Under a congressional resolution from the organization’s founding, the U.S. must give a year’s notice before leaving and settle its financial obligations for the current fiscal year.