U.S. Moves Forward With WHO Withdrawal, Sparking Legal and Budget Crisis

The United States is proceeding with plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a move that has triggered warnings from global health leaders and legal experts about its consequences for international disease control.

The process was initiated by President Donald Trump via an executive order on his first day in office in 2025. Under U.S. law, the withdrawal requires a one-year notice and the settlement of all outstanding financial dues to become final.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson justified the decision, citing the WHO’s alleged failures in pandemic management and information sharing, which they claimed “cost the United States trillions of dollars.” The spokesperson confirmed the U.S. has halted future funding to the agency.

The WHO has stated that the U.S. has not yet paid its assessed contributions for 2024 and 2025. The departure of Washington, traditionally the organization’s largest donor providing 18% of its budget, has forced the WHO into a severe budget crisis. The agency is cutting its management team in half, scaling back programs, and planning to lay off about a quarter of its staff by mid-year.

Legal scholars have challenged the move. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University, called it “a clear violation of U.S. law,” though he added the president was “highly likely to get away with it.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has publicly urged the U.S. to reconsider, calling the withdrawal “a loss for the United States, and it’s a loss for the rest of the world.” Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, speaking in Davos, said he did not expect a U.S. return to the WHO “in the near future” but pledged to advocate for renewed engagement.

Public health experts warn the withdrawal threatens to undermine the global collaborative systems essential for detecting and responding to health threats. Member states are expected to discuss the implications of the U.S. departure at the WHO executive board meeting next month.