Trump Administration Officially Withdraws U.S. from World Health Organization

The Trump administration has formally withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), as the United Nations-backed agency continues to face fierce criticism over its response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, according to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

Menendez, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on Twitter that the Trump administration has pulled out from the WHO.

Menendez wrote:

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.

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.

— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) July 7, 2020

In May, President Donald Trump announced that the US. would end ties with the WHO, citing the “malfeasance” of China, whom he accused of orchestrating a “coverup” regarding the origins of the coronavirus.

“China has total control over the World Health Organization despite only paying $40 million per year compared to what the United States has been paying, which is approximately $450 million a year,” the president noted at the time.

More