United States Officially Withdraws from World Health Organization
White House halts WHO funding, recalls US representatives, and exits pandemic negotiations.
The United States has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), marking a major shift in Washington’s global health policy and ending decades of formal participation in the UN-backed agency.
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In a joint statement issued on January 22, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. confirmed the decision, saying: “Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization, freeing itself from its constraints, as President [Donald] Trump promised on his first day in office.”
The officials said the move was driven by dissatisfaction with the WHO’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and broader concerns about governance and accountability. “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,” the statement added.
Funding frozen and representatives recalled
Under an executive order signed on January 20, President Trump directed the immediate suspension of all US funding to the WHO and ordered the recall of American officials assigned to the global health body. The White House said the decision was “due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, 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.”
The withdrawal follows formal notice issued by the Trump administration in early 2025, triggering the required one-year exit process under the original agreement governing US membership.
Dispute over unpaid dues
Another requirement of the withdrawal process is the settlement of outstanding membership fees. The United States currently owes the WHO approximately $278 million for 2024 and 2025. However, the administration has made clear it does not intend to make additional payments.
“The American people have paid more than enough,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Rubio and Kennedy also accused the organization of refusing to recognize the US departure, saying: “The WHO refuses to hand over the American flag that hung in front of it, arguing it has not approved our withdrawal and, in fact, claims that we owe it compensation.”
WHO responds with concern
The World Health Organization previously expressed regret over Washington’s decision. In a statement issued after the initial withdrawal notice, the agency said it “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, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies,” the statement added.
As of now, the WHO has not formally accepted the US exit, citing unresolved administrative and financial issues.
Exit from pandemic agreements
As part of the withdrawal, Trump’s executive order also directed the United States to pull out of negotiations linked to the WHO’s Pandemic Agreement and related International Health Regulations. The administration stated that these frameworks “will have no binding force on the United States,” arguing they could limit national sovereignty during future global health emergencies.
Longstanding tensions
This marks Trump’s second attempt to withdraw the US from the WHO. A similar move in 2020 was reversed by President Joe Biden after he took office in 2021. The latest decision aligns with the administration’s broader retreat from multilateral organizations, including the 2025 withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord and the exit from dozens of UN-affiliated climate and social policy groups earlier this year.
Founded in 1948, the WHO had 194 member states prior to the US withdrawal. The United States was one of its founding members and historically one of its largest financial contributors, providing an average of $237 million annually between 2012 and 2024 and covering roughly 22 percent of the organization’s assessed budget.
The decision is expected to have wide-ranging implications for global health coordination, disease surveillance, and international pandemic preparedness, as well as for America’s role in shaping future public health policy worldwide.