US Officially Withdraws from World Health Organization

The US officially left the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday after 78 years of membership.

The Details: The exit was announced in a joint statement from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of State. It cited several reasons, including the WHO's failure to "adopt meaningful reforms to address political influence", its failure to investigate the possibility that scientists created the COVID-19 virus and that none of the WHO's past nine chief executives have been American given how much the WHO relies on US financial support. The statement also said the US government will engage directly with other countries, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and faith-based entities to "continue its global health leadership." The US has been one of the biggest contributors to the WHO, contributing around 18% of its overall funding, but hasn't paid its fees for 2024 or 2025. Several outlets reported the US owes between $260 million and $280 million in unpaid dues.

For Context: On Jan. 25, 2025, Trump signed an executive order for the US to exit the WHO due to the "organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic." He also cited the WHO's "inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states" and the "unfair, onerous" payments the US owed to the organization. The US joined the WHO on June 14, 1948, becoming one of its first members after a joint resolution passed by Congress. Following the exit, California announced it was joining the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network–the first state to do so.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the Right were more critical of the WHO, its reported ties to China and the amount of money the US was donating. The New York Post (Lean Right bias) quoted Trump administration officials saying the cost of "draconian" pandemic restrictions cost $16 trillion and 1.2 million American lives, and that US taxpayers "forked over" between $400 million and $500 million annually. Both it, and CBS News (Lean Left) noted the WHO made "costly mistakes" including advising people against wearing masks and asserting the pandemic wasn't airborne. Outlets on the Left and in the Center highlighted concerns about the US's ability to handle public health crises going forward. NBC News (Lean Left) quoted public health officials warning against the exit, saying it's "likely to leave dangerous blind spots in disease surveillance and preparedness." It also pointed out uncertainty about whether the institutions the US is planning to work with now have "the laboratory credentials." Reuters (Center) said the departure has "sparked a budget crisis" and harms global information sharing going forward.

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