The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), following an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office. The decision was announced in a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
According to the statement, this move is intended to address what U.S. officials describe as failures by the WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement reads: "Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), freeing itself from its constraints, as President Trump promised on his first day in office by signing E.O. 14155. This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people. Promises made, promises kept."
The statement criticizes the WHO for abandoning its mission and acting against U.S. interests, despite America's role as a founding member and largest financial contributor to the organization. It claims that "the organization pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests," and that it "obstructed the timely and accurate sharing of critical information that could have saved American lives and then concealed those failures under the pretext of acting 'in the interest of public health.'"
Rubio and Kennedy also allege that even after initiating withdrawal procedures, tensions with WHO leadership persisted over issues such as returning an American flag displayed at WHO headquarters and compensation claims.
"Going forward, U.S. engagement with the WHO will be limited strictly to effectuate our withdrawal and to safeguard the health and safety of the American people," according to their joint statement. All U.S. funding for WHO initiatives has ended, along with staffing support.
Despite leaving the organization, U.S. officials state they will continue efforts in global public health through direct partnerships with other countries and institutions: "The United States will continue to lead the world in public health, saving millions of lives and protecting Americans at home by preventing infectious disease threats from reaching our shores while advancing global health security through direct, bilateral, and results-driven partnerships."
The announcement concludes: "Today, we right these injustices and bring an end to the bureaucratic inertia, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest, and international politics that have rendered the organization beyond repair... Our withdrawal is for them."
