President Donald Trump has once again initiated the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). This action came shortly after his inauguration for a second term as the 47th president on Monday, January 20, 2025
The executive order also revokes previous actions taken by the Biden administration, including the letter retracting the 2020 withdrawal notification and Executive Order 13987, which organized the U.S. government’s response to COVID-19.
Financial Implications
Trump highlighted the disparity in financial contributions between the United States and other countries, particularly China. He stated that the U.S. pays $500 million to support the organization, while China only contributes $39 million. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. contributed $1.284 billion to the WHO, significantly outpacing other donors.
In his new executive order, Trump directed agencies to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” and to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”
Withdrawal Process and Timeline
The withdrawal process is not immediate and will take one year to complete, as stipulated by the agreement when the U.S. became a member of the WHO in 1948. During this period, the U.S. is required to fulfill its financial commitments for the ongoing fiscal year.
The consequences of Monday’s announcement for WHO are significant. They’d lose arguably their most important member — and their biggest donor by far. The U.S. gave $1.284 billion to WHO during 2022 and 2023 – hundreds of millions of dollars more than Germany, the second-place donor.
