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Donald Trump orders US to ‘exit’ World Health Organization, says, ‘that’s a big one’
President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, cutting off significant funding to the international aid group, Bloomberg reported. Details of the order were not immediately available.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a decision that would cut off one of the international aid and disease response group’s largest funding sources, Bloomberg reported.
Details of the order, among a flurry of executive actions Trump signed Monday in the Oval Office, were not immediately available.
“That’s a big one,” Trump said before signing the document.
The WHO, based in Geneva, plays a crucial role in addressing global health threats, including infectious diseases, humanitarian crises, and chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.
A potential US exit could significantly impact its funding. In the 2024-25 budget cycle, US contributions amounted to $662 million, or 19% of the organization's total revenue, according to the WHO.
As reported by Bloomberg, toward the end of his first term, Trump attempted to withdraw the US from the WHO, criticising the body for being too deferential to the Chinese government in the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak and for not acting swiftly enough to contain the disease.
The decision was widely condemned by health advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who saw it as a political move to shift blame for the administration's poor handling of the pandemic, the report said.
The order also says the future transfer of any US Government funds, support or resources to the WHO should be paused, and the director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy “shall review, rescind and replace the 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy as soon as practicable.”
When it became a WHO member in 1948, the US decided that a withdrawal would be preceded by a one-year notice period and full payment of financial obligations. President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s effort upon taking office in January 2021, before the notice period expired.
According to a 2020 Congressional Research Service report, it is unclear whether the American president has the authority to withdraw from the WHO without Congressional approval. However, the likelihood of a Republican-controlled Congress blocking Trump’s decision seems minimal.
A US exit would be a significant setback for the WHO, an agency that played a crucial role in eradicating smallpox globally and continues to combat infectious diseases like HIV and polio. The WHO is also currently addressing health emergencies, including outbreaks of cholera, dengue, pox, and the Marburg virus.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
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Business NewsNewsUs NewsDonald Trump orders US to ‘exit’ World Health Organization, says, ‘that’s a big one’
First Published:21 Jan 2025, 07:35 AM IST
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