The early days of President Donald Trump's second term have been marked by a flurry of executive orders, some of which have drawn significant debate from experts. His recent decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization has perhaps been the most scrutinized of all. But why is that?
What's happening?
The World Health Organization is an international agency formed by the United Nations to promote global health, suggest science-based health policy, and aid in emergency response. The United States has been a key member of the WHO since its inception in 1948, providing funding, sharing knowledge, offering humanitarian assistance, and more.
Now, a recent executive order has the Trump Administration withdrawing the U.S. from the organization. Trump has cited what he considers a large disparity in what the U.S. pays compared to other members as a primary motive for the withdrawal, and he is correct that the U.S. is No. 1 in contributions.
In the 2022-23 period, the U.S. contributed $1.28 billion, with the next highest contributors being Germany at $856 million and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at $830 million, though it should be noted that $1.02 billion of the U.S. donations were considered fully voluntary and not representative of any requirement toward remaining in the organization, which are based on each country's GDP. Since the U.S. has the highest GDP, it has been contributing the most.
The official White House press release also cites the WHO'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" as motives for the order.
Why is withdrawing from the World Health Organization important?
President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the WHO is likely to draw the full range of opinions. Expert opinions, however, seem to have formed a consensus: While some say the move makes sense as a negotiating tactic to get other countries to pay higher percentages of the WHO funding, most say that actually withdrawing from the organization is dangerous and damaging.
"It's a cataclysmic presidential decision," Georgetown University public health law professor Lawrence Gostin said. "Withdrawal is a grievous wound to world health, but a still deeper wound to the U.S."
Gostin has been a critic of the decision since President Trump publicly considered it during his first term. In a 2020 article for The Lancet, he wrote, "Withdrawal from WHO would have dire consequences for US security, diplomacy, and influence," before concluding that "The USA cannot cut ties with WHO without incurring major disruption and damage, making Americans far less safe."
The WHO also conducts a number of initiatives related to climate change as they pertain to protecting human health, even including efforts to make drugs and health care facilities less polluting and more environmentally friendly.
What's being done about the WHO withdrawal?
While full WHO withdrawal is supposed to take a year, President Trump's order calls for an immediate halt to U.S. funding and other support to the WHO. Therefore, despite the questionable legality of the order, the withdrawal is effectively complete with its signing.
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Definitely 👍 However, it's important to note that many of the executive orders recently signed by President Trump have been running into legal roadblocks. A judge blocked the president's order to freeze federal spending on Feb. 11, and three judges have now blocked the order to end birthright citizenship.
As our country's system of checks and balances seeks to sort out the legality of the president's executive orders, you can write your congressperson to express your beliefs about this or any other decisions.
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