US begins formal process of withdrawing from WHO

The United States government on Tuesday notified the US Congress that it is formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization.

President Donald Trump earlier announced the decision, accusing the agency of becoming a puppet for China during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the WHO in the midst of a pandemic. To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn’t do it justice. This won’t protect American lives or interests – it leaves Americans sick & America alone”, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted.

On Tuesday, the United Nations said that the US will leave the WHO on July 6, 2021.

Trump said the US contributes about $450 million to the WHO, while China contributes about $40 million. He added the US will be “redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs”.

The US currently owes the WHO more than $200 million in assessed contributions, according to the WHO website.