U.S. WHO Exit Nears as Trump Refuses to Pay $278M in Dues
NPR reports that the United States is days away from President Trump’s attempted withdrawal from the World Health Organization, with a one‑year notice period expiring Jan. 22, 2026, while the administration openly refuses to pay roughly $278 million in assessed dues for 2024–2025 that WHO says are a legal condition of leaving. WHO’s principal legal officer Steven Solomon notes that the WHO constitution has no general exit clause and that only the U.S., under its 1948 accession, reserved a right to withdraw—provided it gives a year’s notice and pays what it owes. Georgetown global health law expert Lawrence Gostin calls quitting without paying 'unlawful' under the U.S.’s own terms, but concedes there is no obvious enforcement mechanism to stop Trump absent litigation or congressional intervention. The State Department dismisses WHO legal arguments as irrelevant and says the U.S. will not send more money, framing WHO opinions as 'meaningless' and blaming the agency for alleged COVID‑era failures in China. The showdown sets up an unprecedented standoff between Washington and a UN specialized agency over treaty‑style obligations, with major implications for U.S. access to WHO‑run surveillance, emergency alerts and scientific networks during future outbreaks.
📌 Key Facts
- Trump signed an inauguration‑day executive order in January 2025 restarting U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, triggering a one‑year notice period that ends Jan. 22, 2026.
- WHO legal officer Steven Solomon says only the U.S. reserved a withdrawal right when it joined in 1948 and that the reservation requires both one‑year notice and payment of all outstanding U.S. dues.
- The U.S. owes about $278 million in WHO assessments for 2024–2025, and the State Department told NPR it 'will not be making any payments to the WHO before our withdrawal,' calling WHO opinions 'meaningless.'
📊 Relevant Data
The United States contributed approximately 34% of the funding available to the WHO for the 2024-2025 biennium, making it the largest single donor and highlighting the potential funding gap from withdrawal.
WHO appeals for $1.5 billion for emergencies with US funding in doubt — Reuters
U.S. withdrawal from the WHO could disrupt global health programs, potentially leading to increased cases of HIV/AIDS, maternal and child mortality, and tuberculosis, as U.S. funding supports these initiatives.
Implications of U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization on global health and disease control — ScienceDirect
Black, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people in the U.S. are more likely than White people to be diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, with disparities in diagnosis rates persisting despite WHO-supported global efforts to address HIV inequities.
Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity — KFF
The WHO's response to COVID-19 was criticized for deferring to China's handling of the outbreak, including delays in information sharing that contributed to global spread.
The WHO and China: Dereliction of Duty — Council on Foreign Relations
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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