The United States has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization, completing a year-long exit that marks one of the most consequential breaks between Washington and the United Nations system in modern history.
President Donald Trump initiated the withdrawal on the first day of his current term in 2025, issuing an executive order that set the one-year departure process in motion. Administration officials said Thursday that the decision reflects what they described as systemic failures by the WHO, particularly in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
🇺🇸 The United States officially WITHDREW from @WHO. For too long, this globalist organization was used as a tool for China to manipulate health data and exclude other democratic partners.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) January 22, 2026
Under President Trump, America leads—not China.
“We have no plans to participate as an observer, and we have no plans of rejoining,” a senior U.S. health official said, making clear that the administration views the split as permanent. Going forward, the U.S. plans to work directly with individual countries on disease surveillance and public health cooperation rather than operating through the Geneva-based agency.
As part of the withdrawal, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it has ended all U.S. funding contributions to the WHO. A State Department spokesperson argued that Americans have already paid more than their fair share, dismissing claims that outstanding payments must be settled before the exit is finalized.
Under U.S. law, Washington was expected to provide one year’s notice and pay roughly $260 million in outstanding dues before withdrawing. The administration disputes that payment is a legal condition of departure, even as the WHO says the U.S. still owes fees for 2024 and 2025.
The symbolic break became visible Thursday when the U.S. flag was removed from outside WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The withdrawal comes amid a broader pullback from international institutions. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has moved to exit several other U.N. bodies, while simultaneously promoting a newly launched “Board of Peace,” a move critics say could further undermine the United Nations’ role in global governance.
The financial impact on the WHO has been immediate and severe. The United States had been the organization’s largest single contributor, providing about 18 percent of its total funding. In response to the loss, the WHO has cut its senior management team in half, scaled back programs, and announced plans to reduce its workforce by roughly 25 percent by midyear.
“The U.S. withdrawal from WHO could weaken the systems and collaborations the world relies on to detect, prevent, and respond to health threats,” said Kelly Henning, a public health lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly urged Washington to reconsider, but a quick reversal appears unlikely. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates said he does not expect the U.S. to rejoin in the near future, though he pledged to continue advocating for renewed engagement.
“The world needs the World Health Organization,” Gates said.
WHO member states are expected to formally address the U.S. departure and its legal implications at the agency’s executive board meeting in February. While the organization says it has continued limited information sharing with U.S. officials over the past year, how that cooperation will function without formal membership remains unclear.
For now, the United States’ exit represents a decisive shift away from multilateral public health coordination—and a defining moment in the Trump administration’s broader reorientation of America’s role in global institutions.
