WHO starts cutting costs as US withdrawal date set for January 2026

The World Health Organization has begun cost-cutting measures in preparation for a US withdrawal next year, according to reporting by Reuters.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the United Nation's health agency. The country was a founding member of the WHO in 1948 and has since been a key member of the organization, which has 193 other member states. The executive order cited Trump's long-standing complaints about the agency's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, dues payments, and alleged protection of China as the reasons for the withdrawal.

In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO said it "regrets" the announcement and hopes the US will reconsider.

"WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go," the statement reads. "For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO."

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Under a 1948 Joint Resolution of Congress, a US withdrawal from the WHO requires a one-year notice period. A spokesperson for the United Nations confirmed to Reuters on Thursday that it received a notice from the US of its intent to withdraw dated January 22, making the formal withdrawal date January 22, 2026.

“Just stupid”

On January 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent a memo to staff announcing the cost-cutting measures. Reuters obtained a copy of the memo.

"This announcement has made our financial situation more acute," Tedros wrote, referring to the US withdrawal plans. WHO's budget mainly comes from dues and voluntary contributions from member states. The dues are a percentage of each member state's gross domestic product, and the percentage is set by the UN General Assembly. US contributions account for about 18 percent of WHO's overall funding, and its two-year 2024-2025 budget was $6.8 billion, according to Reuters.

To prepare for the budget cut, WHO is halting recruitment, significantly curtailing travel expenditures, making all meetings virtual, limiting IT equipment updates, and suspending office refurbishment.

"This set of measures is not comprehensive, and more will be announced in due course," Tedros wrote, adding that the agency would do everything it could to protect and support staff.

The country's pending withdrawal has been heavily criticized by global health leaders and US experts, who say it will make the world less safe and weaken America. In a CBS/KFF Health News report examining the global health implications of the US withdrawal, Kenneth Bernard, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University who served as a top biodefense official during the George W. Bush administration, did not mince words:

"It's just stupid," Bernard said. "Withdrawing from the WHO leaves a gap in global health leadership that will be filled by China," he said, "which is clearly not in America's best interests."

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“Just stupid”

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