From founding member to exit: Why the US has officially quit WHO

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a joint statement confirming the termination of U.S. membership in the WHO.

“President Trump announced the U.S. plan to exit the WHO on January 20, 2025. Over the year-long withdrawal process, the United States halted funding to the organization, withdrew all U.S. personnel, and transitioned activities previously conducted through the WHO to direct bilateral engagements with other countries and international partners,” the HHS said in a statement.

Following the withdrawal, the U.S. will coordinate with the WHO only in a limited capacity to complete procedural requirements related to the exit.

The HHS sharply criticised the WHO’s response during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, stating that the organization delayed declaring a global public health emergency and a pandemic—costing the world critical weeks as the virus spread rapidly.

“During this period, WHO leadership echoed and praised China’s response despite evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information, and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission,” the statement said. It added that the WHO downplayed the risks of asymptomatic transmission and failed to promptly acknowledge airborne spread of the virus.

According to U.S. officials, the WHO also failed to adopt meaningful reforms after the pandemic to address political interference, governance weaknesses, and coordination failures—further eroding global trust in the organization’s ability to act independently during public health emergencies.

The U.S. also raised concerns over the WHO’s report on the origins of COVID-19, which dismissed the possibility of a laboratory-related incident, despite China’s refusal to provide genetic data from early cases and key information related to Wuhan laboratories’ biosafety practices.

The United States was a founding member of the WHO in 1948. Former President Donald Trump had signalled his intent to withdraw from the global health body during his first term, citing similar concerns.