USA TODAY International Edition
Nation begins its withdrawal from WHO
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has officially begun to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, even as the COVID- 19 pandemic continues to grip the globe and infections spike in many states across the U. S.
Congress received formal notification of the decision Tuesday, more than a month after President Donald Trump announced his intention to end the U. S. relationship with WHO and blasted the multilateral institution as a tool of China.
The White House said the withdrawal would take effect on July 6, 2021.
Democrats said the decision was irresponsible and ill- considered, noting it comes as the pandemic is raging and international cooperation is vital to confront the crisis.
“This won’t protect American lives or interests – it leaves Americans sick & America alone,” Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted after receiving the White House’s notification. “To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn’t do it justice.”
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presi
dential nominee, said he would rejoin WHO immediately if he wins.
“Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health. On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @ WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage,” the former vice president tweeted.
Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesman, said the organization had received reports of the United States’ formal notification. “We have no further information on this at this stage,” he said.
The formal withdrawal comes as the United States nears 3 million reported coronavirus cases and more than 130,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been 11.6 million cases and almost 540,000 deaths.
Trump and his advisers have blasted the organization for failing to press China to be more transparent about the scope and severity of the COVID- 19 outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China.
Trump has said that China “has total control” over WHO, even though it contributes far less than the U. S. to the health organization’s budget. The U. S. has contributed approximately $ 450 million dollars a year.
Menendez and other Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to reverse the decision and restore U. S. funding to WHO. It’s unclear how far that could get in the GOP- controlled chamber, although some Republicans have also expressed concern with Trump’s decision.
Critics said Trump’s WHO attacks are an attempt to deflect blame from his own mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak – and one that will end up hurting the U. S.
“Deflecting blame onto the WHO won’t reverse the administration’s mistakes or undo the suffering our country has endured,” said Rep. Eliot Engel, D- N. Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “The president needs to get serious about stopping this pandemic’s lethal spread by restoring our membership in the WHO, ramping up testing, and encouraging everyone to practice social distancing and wear masks.”
Amanda Glassman, a public health expert and executive vice president of the Center for Global Development think tank, noted the world doesn’t just face today’s threat of COVID- 19 but also the treat of future pandemics, which are more likely because of increased zoonotic transmission.
The probability of a high lethality strain of influenza in the next decade or so is also significant, Glassman said. She said corrective measures at WHO are needed but can only happen with the United States staying engaged.