In a significant shift after almost eight decades, the United States has officially severed ties with the World Health Organization (WHO).

This move was set in motion by President Donald Trump through an executive order issued on January 20, 2025, marking the start of his second term. He attributed the decision to what he described as the WHO’s “mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic” along with other health emergencies worldwide.

President Trump also criticized the financial contributions the U.S. was required to make, calling them “unfairly burdensome.” The organization is primarily supported through voluntary donations and member contributions, which are calculated based on a country’s population and economic status.

The executive order outlined steps to halt all U.S. funding to the WHO, redirect American contractors employed by the organization, and explore alternative global health entities for potential membership.

Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed a desire for the United States to reverse its decision. He stated his “hope that the U.S. will reconsider its decision and rejoin” the organization during a press briefing.

Ghebreyesus called the decision a “lose-lose” situation for both the U.S. and the “rest of the world.”

“It’s not really the right decision, I want to say bluntly, because I believe that there are many things that are done through WHO that benefits the U.S., and only the WHO does, and especially the health security issues,” he said. “That’s why I say the U.S. cannot be safe without working with the WHO.”

Trump previously attempted to pull the U.S. out of the organization during his first presidential term. 

Following the 2025 executive order, the WHO said in a statement it “regrets the announcement” and noted the U.S.’s role as a key partner and founding member of the organization. 

“With the participation of the United States and other Member States, WHO has over the past 7 years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues,” the organization said. “We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”

In an asterisk note at the bottom of the WHO website’s member country list page, the international organization discloses that the United States expressed “its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization, with a stated effective date of 22 January 2026.”

“This notification is pending consideration by WHO’s governing bodies,” the note reads. “References to the United States of America within the WHO context, including any display or otherwise of its national flag or insignia, should be understood as subject to, and without prejudice to, such consideration by WHO’s governing bodies.”

On Thursday, the removal process was official. 

While the WHO’s bylaws do not specify the process by which member states can leave the organization, the U.S. Congress provided terms for an American withdrawal process when it approved the country’s membership into the organization under the Truman administration. 

In the 1948 joint resolution, the lawmakers stated that the “United States reserves the right to withdraw” after providing the organization with one-year notice — a rule the Trump administration has followed. 

The legislation also stipulated that the U.S. must have fulfilled all of its “financial obligations” to the WHO. While a two-year congressional budget had already allocated funding to WHO into 2025, Trump’s executive order required the cessation of U.S. funds to the organization. 

In a document prepared and published by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service soon after Trump’s executive order was issued, the office acknowledged the “uncertainty” of whether the U.S. is required to pay its dues through the end of 2025 or into 2026, given the lack of direction from the WHO and the unspecific language in the U.S. requirements.

However, the State Department said in a statement to NPR that the U.S. “will not be making any payments to the WHO before our withdrawal.”

“The cost born by the U.S. taxpayer and U.S. economy after the WHO’s failure during the Covid pandemic — and since — has been too high as it is,” the department said.