(NewsNation) — One of the first actions President Donald Trump took after being inaugurated Monday was to sign an executive order to start the process of removing the United States from the World Health Organization.
This is the second time Trump has attempted this — he also tried to withdraw from WHO in 2020, and his administration officially notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the decision. However, former President Joe Biden reversed it in 2021.
As the biggest donor to WHO’s budget in 2023, experts warn that the withdrawal of the United States could be a disaster for public health around the world.
Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told STAT News such a move was a “mistake.”
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How much does the US contribute to WHO?
The U.S. was a founding member of WHO, which directs and coordinates the international response to health emergencies.
At a news briefing Tuesday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said the U.S. contributed 18% of the organization’s budget in 2023.
“Thanks to decades of strong partnership, the United States of America plays a crucial role in supporting WHO to protect and improve the health of Americans and people around the world,” WHO says on its website.
In the 2022-2023 biennium, the United States gave $1.284 billion to WHO. The Associated Press reported that in the last decade, the U.S. has given the organization about $160 million to $815 million every year.
How could Trump withdraw the US from WHO?
Trump would need Congress’ approval and for the United States to meet its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year before leaving. A 1948 joint resolution passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate requires the United States to give WHO a one-year notice period if it decides to withdraw.
Why does Trump want to leave WHO?
The executive order Trump signed states the withdrawal stems from “the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and other global health crises, its “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms; and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
Trump said at a campaign rally in September that he would “take on the corruption” at WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China, The Associated Press wrote.
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What are experts saying?
Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International who advised WHO about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, told Science that losing money from the United States would restrict WHO’s ability to react to health emergencies.
The United States withdrawal from the WHO is a “global health crisis in the making,” a group of world-distinguished professors and public health experts wrote in a peer-reviewed British Medical Journal.
“This severing of ties between the world’s largest economy and its foremost public health body represents a major setback for health diplomacy, scientific collaboration and funding,” the professors said. “The repercussions will ripple across borders, leaving WHO weaker and the U.S. isolated when global health challenges demand unity.”
WHO, they wrote, has been able to bring countries together to coordinate disease outbreak responses and provide technical assistance. Benefits of being a member include disease surveillance, health system strengthening and health diplomacy, the professors said.
By helping to create WHO, the professors said, the United States has supported programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; create pandemic preparedness plans; and improve maternal and child health.
“Its withdrawal undermines not just WHO’s finances and programs, but also America’s influence and standing in the world,” Buse, Gostin, Kamarulzaman and McKee said.
There are some ways to mitigate potential damage, according to the BMJ report.
The professors said public health organizations and researchers have to defend WHO, and informal channels to exchange scientific knowledge must be explored. However, Konyndyk, in Science, pointed out that no other organization does all the work WHO does.
When it comes to money, several European countries helped fill the void in funding the first time Trump attempted to leave WHO, the professors said. However, current political realities make this a challenge for leading donors such as the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, they added.
While he acknowledged that the WHO needs reforms and mismanaged some parts of its COVID-19 response, Jha added that exiting the organization means that the U.S. will lose any leverage to make changes.
“With all its flaws, the WHO remains a source of crucial coordination and collaboration,” Jha said. “It plays an essential role in low- and middle-income countries, especially, and can be effective in that role with a more defined set of responsibilities and limits.”
What did WHO say?
WHO officials said in a statement that they “regret” Trump’s decision.
“WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go,” WHO said. “We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
