Experts slam ‘scientifically reckless’ US withdrawal from WHO

The United States has completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, drawing sharp criticism from public health experts and leaving behind more than a quarter-billion dollars in unpaid dues.

The withdrawal took effect on Thursday, exactly one year after Trump signed an executive order launching the process at the start of his second term.

The decision ends all US participation in the UN health agency and halts funding, while leaving behind hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid dues.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said all financial contributions to the WHO have been terminated, US staff have been recalled from offices worldwide, and Washington has withdrawn from WHO leadership bodies, technical committees and working groups.

The Trump administration justified the move by accusing the WHO of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic, failing to reform and operating under political influence.

A senior HHS official said the agency had “strayed from its core mission” and acted against US interests, particularly during the early stages of the pandemic.

Officials also criticized the WHO for questioning Trump’s early travel restrictions during the pandemic.

The administration further claimed that the US had shouldered a disproportionate financial burden compared with countries such as China, despite never having an American serve as WHO director-general.

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Despite the formal exit, the US has not settled its outstanding financial obligations.

The UN figures place the amount US debt for the 2024–2025 period at more than $270 million. An administration official rejected claims that the US is legally required to clear the debt, despite a 1948 congressional resolution calling for payment of dues following a one-year withdrawal notice.

Public health experts have sharply criticized the decision, warning it could undermine the US response to future health emergencies.

“The US withdrawal from the World Health Organization is a shortsighted and misguided abandonment of our global health commitments. Global cooperation and communication are critical to keep our own citizens protected because germs do not respect borders,” said Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Nahass said leaving the WHO would weaken US disease surveillance, including monitoring threats such as Ebola, seasonal influenza and emerging pathogens. He also warned the move could disrupt efforts to match vaccines to circulating flu strains.

“Withdrawing from the World Health Organization is scientifically reckless. It fails to acknowledge the fundamental natural history of infectious diseases. Global cooperation is not a luxury; it is a biological necessity,” he added.

The WHO withdrawal follows Trump-era exits or pullbacks from other international frameworks, including the Paris climate agreement and UNESCO, reinforcing a broader shift away from multilateral institutions toward unilateralism.

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