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Trump moves to formally remove the US from the World Health Organization

pharmafile | July 8, 2020 | News story | Research and Development COVID-19, Trump, WHO 

President Donald Trump has formally moved to end the US membership of the World Health Organization.

He has notified both the UN and Congress of his intentions to withdraw on 6th July 2021. The Democrat controlled congress will probably not approve the move, but a 1948 resolution allows the US to withdraw if it gives a one year notice and pays all outstanding fees.

There has been widespread criticism of the move from Democrats, with Senator Robert Menendez, the leading Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, tweeting: “Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the US from the WHO in the midst of a pandemic. It leaves Americans sick and America alone.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, said: “On my first day as President, I will rejoin the WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage.”

The Trump administration requested to cut the amount of American funding for the WHO back in February, from $122.6 million to $57.9 million.  It has historically been the largest funder of the WHO and provided it with $400 million in 2018-2019, which was just under 15% of its budget. In comparison, China only contributed $76 in this same period. In May, Trump announced the freeze to the US funding of the WHO, due to its alleged bias towards China, and threatened to remove the US from the organization altogether.

Conor Kavanagh

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