Among the more than 200 executive orders signed by the new president, many signed on his inauguration day Monday, was his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization.
And this time Trump has a full term to get it done.
Trump already signed a notification of withdrawal from the WHO, the health and medical wing of the United Nations, in July of 2020, while at odds with WHO handling of the COVID pandemic. Trump, however, was defeated by Biden month’s later and Biden rescinded that order on Jan. 20, 2021, his first day in office.
Trump’s new order blasts WHO for “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises.”
WHO has failed to produce necessary reforms within the organization and has not remained independent from the “political influence” of its member countries, the order states.
In addition, it demands “unfairly onerous” payments from the United States.
Trump has assigned others within his administration to develop a plan to “safeguard public health and fortify biosecurity.”
Future payments to WHO should end, and the recall and reassignment of government personnel or contractors working with WHO should take place “with all practicable speed.”
The bureaucrats at the WHO, not surprisingly, are disappointed.
“The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans,” it responded in an official statement. “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 U.S. provided $1.2 billion to WHO in 2023, according to WHO figures. The second-leading WHO funder was Germany at $856 million.
WHO pushed U.S. toward treaty
“The U.S. is a massive funder of the WHO, their own livelihood is on the line, but that should help them see clearly that they need to pay attention to what the United States’ perspective is and what it wants to do,” Travis Weber, the Family Research Council’s vice president for Policy and Government Affairs, said on Washington Watch Tuesday.
For the last four years, it appears the WHO was in lock step with the U.S. government, if not its people.
There’s no greater example of Trump’s concern for WHO’s political influence than a post-pandemic power play called the “Pandemic Preparedness Agreement.” In big meetings, and small steps, the WHO used the COVID-19 pandemic to urge 194 nations to discuss and finalize a treaty. A big step came last summer when a legally binding International Health Regulations, or IHR, was amended and approved in Geneva.
When it came up for final approval, the agreement would have given WHO sole power to define a health crisis then enforce emergency conditions like vaccine mandates, travel restrictions, mask requirements and more.
The GOP-led House passed a bill that would have required Senate approval of any WHO pandemic agreement but it never received a vote in the Democrat-led Senate.
The power and politics of WHO
Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) has warned such pandemic authority could be abused by WHO for any number of left-leaning causes, such as requiring abortion rights in the name of healthcare.
Weber, who followed the WHO and its meetings, has vocally agreed with the Congressman's warning.
“This is a step in the wrong direction, and I do think it’s fair to say it’s a precursor to more aggressive action at the global level, binding the U.S. and other countries to arrangements that they have no control over,” he said at the time.
“During COVID, we saw abuses by governments in the areas of freedom, religious freedom, free speech, there were a lot of censorship and individual rights were suppressed,” he told show host Jody Hice Tuesday.
Such abuse was a topic ignored by WHO at its World Health Assembly last spring as it sought to pass its pandemic agreement.
Weber, who attended the conference, said he witnessed a push for more power.
“Rights, freedoms and the violations of the WHO policies were not discussed at all. They were discussing what they could do to increase their power, increase their ability to exert control over the next policy response. It would come in the name of safety, but it’s about control,” he said.
U.S. won't be part of fund-raising push
Trump’s executive order comes days after WHO launched a $1.5 billion fund-raising effort to tackle what it says are 42 ongoing worldwide health emergencies, 17 of them “Grade 3,” the most severe crises requiring the greatest level of response, according to WHO.
The growing threat requires WHO to be at peak performance, says Director Gen. Tedros Ghebreyesus.
“Conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters and other health emergencies are no longer isolated or occasional – they are relentless, overlapping and intensifying,” he said.
WHO can help oversee how care and services are distributed, he said.
“We empower communities to protect themselves, prioritize equity, and build a legacy of preparedness,” Ghebreyesus said.
Trump: In-house efforts will work
Trump says he is confident his administration can accomplish the work for which WHO was created, to safeguard and advance health.
Maybe it can but Weber says watchdog groups need to remain on alert regardless.
“So this is going to be an important discussion, and it's going to be important for us to continue to have to watch what's happening," he warned. "We don't want the same violations, the same sovereignty erosions to take place in another way.”
