Trump cuts off U.S. funding to WHO, pending review

President Trump said the U.S. will stop funding to the World Health Organization while his administration reviews its role in “mismanaging” the coronavirus.

He said the U.S. contributes up to $400 million while superpowers like China, where the outbreak began, contribute closer to $40 million.

“The United States has a duty to insist on full accountability,” Mr. Trump said.

He cited the WHO’s lack of pushback to Beijing’s foggy reporting on the virus in the early going, saying it cost the rest of the world valuable time.

He also blasted the WHO’s opposition to bans on travel from China, accusing it of putting “political correctness above life-saving measures.”

“Countless more lives would have been saved. Instead, look at the rest of the world,” he said, citing the rampant spread of the virus in Europe.

He said U.S. funding wasn’t put to good use and the WHO failed to vet and share information in a timely fashion.

Mr. Trump said the freeze will last 60 to 90 days and should have been done by previous administrations.

“This is an evaluation period,” Mr. Trump said.

He said he will channel the money to the areas that most need it.

The president also accused the WHO of failing to contain samples of the virus from China and getting a team into the source country, though WHO ultimately did get a team in with cooperation from Beijing.

Mr. Trump’s decision to cut off funding to the public health arm of the U.N. in the middle of a pandemic is sure to raise eyebrows, though the president may resume funding after sending “powerful letters” to the organization and discussing it with other nations.