WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, severing ties with the global health body after a yearlong disengagement process driven by criticism of the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over political influence.
The announcement was made jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of State, marking the end of U.S. membership, funding, and participation in WHO governance and technical bodies as of January 22, 2026.
President Donald J. Trump initiated the withdrawal on January 20, 2025, citing what the administration described as systemic failures by the WHO during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak originating in Wuhan, China. During the required one-year notice period, the United States halted all funding to the organization, recalled U.S. personnel and contractors, and shifted hundreds of global health engagements to bilateral and multilateral arrangements outside the WHO framework.
Administration officials said the WHO delayed declaring both a global public health emergency and a pandemic, costing critical time as the virus spread internationally. They also accused the organization’s leadership of echoing China’s official position despite evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information, and delays in acknowledging human-to-human transmission, asymptomatic spread, and airborne risks.
The administration further criticized the WHO’s post-pandemic response, arguing that the organization failed to adopt meaningful reforms to address governance weaknesses and political pressure from member states. Officials also pointed to a WHO-led report on COVID-19 origins that dismissed the possibility of a laboratory-related origin, despite China’s refusal to provide early genetic data and information on laboratory activities in Wuhan.
According to federal officials, the United States will now coordinate with the WHO only in a limited capacity necessary to finalize the withdrawal, while pursuing global health initiatives independently and through direct partnerships with other countries, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, and the private sector.
The withdrawal was executed under Executive Order 14155, signed by Trump in January 2025. The administration said the move restores accountability to U.S. taxpayers, noting that while the WHO has 194 member states, the United States had long been its largest financial contributor. In recent years, U.S. assessed contributions averaged about $111 million annually, with voluntary contributions averaging roughly $570 million per year.
Officials emphasized that leaving the WHO does not signal a retreat from global health leadership. Instead, they said the United States will continue to prioritize rapid outbreak detection, emergency response, biosecurity coordination, and health innovation through U.S.-led and partner-based efforts.
The administration said the completion of the withdrawal closes a chapter that began during Trump’s first term, when he first sought to exit the WHO over its pandemic response, and opens what it called a new era of independent global health engagement focused on protecting Americans while delivering measurable benefits to allies worldwide.
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