On January 22, 2026, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that all funding to WHO had stopped, all personnel had been recalled, and all involvement in governance had ended. This comes after Trump’s executive order on his first day in office in January 2025, which came after a required one-year notice period. Legal experts say that the US, which used to be WHO’s biggest donor, owes $260 million but is unlikely to pay it.
HHS officials said that the US didn’t get enough back from its investments and criticized WHO’s handling of COVID-19, saying that emergency declarations were too slow and that China’s response was good. They said that WHO was ignoring the risks of airborne transmission and asymptomatic spread. The move lets US health policies work without “unaccountable foreign bureaucrats” and promises to keep working together with other countries through the CDC.
Global health experts say that the exit makes things less safe because the WHO won’t be able to monitor pandemics, vaccines, and data sharing. Dr. Lawrence Gostin said it was “the most destructive presidential decision” and that the US would not be ready for future threats. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO, said it was a “lose-lose” for everyone.
The administration wants to work with individual countries, NGOs, and faith groups, with the CDC’s Global Center in charge. More news is expected soon. Without the WHO’s structure, critics worry about fragmentation, which could give China more power.
