The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, the Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday, finalizing a long-standing goal of President Donald Trump.
Trump attempted to leave the organization during his first term and issued formal notice through an executive order on the first day of his second term. Under U.S. law, the country was required to provide one year’s notice and settle outstanding financial obligations before withdrawal could take effect, CNN reported.
The United States still owes the WHO roughly $260 million, though legal experts said the funds are unlikely to be paid and the organization has little ability to compel payment.
“As a matter of law, it is very clear that the United States cannot officially withdraw from WHO unless it pays its outstanding financial obligations,” said Dr. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University. “But WHO has no power to force the U.S. to pay what it owes.”
Gostin said the WHO could attempt to block the withdrawal through a formal resolution but is unlikely to escalate tensions given the administration’s clear intent to leave.
HHS said Thursday that all U.S. government funding to the WHO has been terminated and that all American personnel and contractors assigned to or embedded with the organization have been recalled.
The agency said the United States has also ceased participation in WHO-sponsored committees, leadership bodies, governance structures, and technical working groups.
Administration officials said some limited cooperation could continue. Asked whether the U.S. would participate in an upcoming WHO-led meeting on next year’s influenza vaccine composition, officials said discussions are ongoing.
During a call with reporters, a senior administration official said the United States had not received sufficient value from its involvement with the organization.
“A promise made and a promise kept,” the official said, adding that the WHO “has acted contrary to the U.S. interest in protecting the American public.”
The official also noted that despite being the WHO’s largest financial contributor, the United States has never had an American serve as the organization’s director-general.
HHS cited the WHO’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as a central reason for the withdrawal.
In a news release, the agency said the organization delayed declaring a global public health emergency and praised China’s response despite what the administration described as early underreporting, information suppression, and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission.
HHS also criticized the WHO for initially downplaying airborne transmission and asymptomatic spread of the virus.
“This action means our country’s health policies can no longer be constrained by unaccountable foreign bureaucrats,” a senior HHS official said.
Despite the withdrawal, administration officials said the United States will continue to play a leading role in global health.
Officials said the U.S. plans to work directly with individual countries, non-governmental organizations, and religious groups on infectious disease surveillance and data sharing.
That effort is expected to be led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global Health Center.
“We’ve assessed all of the gaps and the potential gaps,” another senior administration official said. “We have plans in place.”
The administration said additional announcements are expected in the coming months.
Some public health experts warned that replacing WHO coordination with bilateral agreements would create gaps in global surveillance and response.
“It doesn’t allow the same level of partnership and surveillance as working with WHO,” said a former CDC official who requested anonymity.
The official noted the CDC operates in about 60 countries, but said that does not replace the global reach of the WHO.
Critics said the withdrawal could leave the United States and the world more vulnerable to emerging biological threats.
“The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization is a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments,” said Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
