Nearing the end of his first term, President Donald Trump attempted to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), claiming the agency was under Chinese influence and responsible for the mishandling of the covid-19 pandemic. Although former President Joe Biden overturned this decision in 2021, Trump made leaving WHO an early priority for his second term. In a Jan. 20 executive order, Trump withdrew the U.S. from WHO for the second time, arguing the agency failed to “adopt urgently needed reforms” and ignored “inappropriate political influence” from WHO member states.
The effects of the United States’ withdrawal from WHO are expected to be costly. The loss of U.S. funding will hinder WHO’s ability to support its endeavors, including the eradication of polio, maternal and child health services, and viral research. The loss of American medical knowledge and resources will likely also weaken WHO’s ability to adequately respond to future public health crises.
The U.S.’s withdrawal from WHO doesn’t just affect the organization’s efforts. It will exclude the U.S. from agency initiatives, notably “the yearly composition of flu vaccines” and “access to genetic databases,” according to the Associated Press. This loss of collaboration with WHO could stall U.S. efforts to produce vaccines and medication, potentially threatening the nation’s public health.
Global leaders and leading health experts were quick to comment on Trump’s decision. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark believes it is not in the United States’ best interest to pull out of WHO due to the impending spread of bird flu and its potential worldwide detrimental effects. This sentiment is echoed by Lawrence Gostin, J.D., Georgetown University’s director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law, who believes “‘a U.S. withdrawal from WHO would make the world far less healthy and safe’” and would devastate the organization’s disease response efforts.
Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from WHO is yet another policy initiative demonstrating the Trump administration’s isolationist ideals — ideals which may prove to have devastating effects on national and international public health in the future.
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