Pompeo issues WHO funding warning

Nation may never restore funding, he says

WASHINGTON • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a fundamental reform of the World Health Organization was needed following its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that the

United States, the WHO’S

biggest donor, may never re

store funding to the United

Nation’s body.

As Pompeo launched fresh

attacks on the UN body on

Wednesday, Democrats in

the U.S. House of Representatives accused the Trump administration of trying to “scapegoat” the WHO to distract from its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, they called for the immediate

restoration of U.S. funding,

which Trump suspended last week accusing the WHO of being “China-centric” and of promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak.

Pompeo told Fox News there needed to be “a structural fix of the WHO” to correct its “shortcomings.”

Asked if he was not ruling out a change in leadership of the WHO, Pompeo replied: “Even more than that, it may

be the case that the United

States can never return to

underwriting, having U.S.

taxpayer dollars go to the WHO.”

The WHO has denied the Trump administration’s charges and China insists it has been transparent and open.

The U.S. has been the

biggest overall donor to the WHO, contributing over $560 million in 2019, roughly 15 per cent of its budget.

Senior U.S. officials last week

told Reuters Washington could redirect these funds to other aid groups.

Pompeo said the U.S.

“strongly believed” Beijing had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner, in breach of WHO rules, and that WHO director general Tedros Adhanom did not use his ability “to go public” when a member state failed to follow those rules.

Pompeo said the WHO had an obligation to ensure safety standards were observed in virology labs in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

The acting head of the

U.S. Agency for International Development said the U.S.

would assess if the WHO was being run properly and look for alternative partners outside the body.

The possibility of the U.S.

ceasing its funding to the global body is contingent upon Trump winning re-election in November.

The U.S. Congress controls federal spending, and could pass legislation to guarantee funding for the WHO. However, to become law it would need to garner enough support, including from Republicans, in order to override a likely veto.