President Donald Trump has cut U.S. fundings to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the New York Times.
In response to questions raised over the credibility of the WHO, Trump threatened to defund them over a week ago. Later, however, he eased up on this decision.
“We’re going to put a hold on money spent on the WHO, we’re going to put a very powerful hold on it, and we’re going to see,” Trump said on April 7. When he was later questioned, he said he was considering it as a potential course of action, not a final decision.
It is now, evidently, a final decision.
“The American people deserve better from the WHO, and no more funding will be provided until its mismanagement, cover-ups, and failures can be investigated,” a White House statement read on April 14, according to BBC.
This move has been criticized by many world leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“[The WHO does] a lot of important work,” Morrison said, despite agreeing the WHO could have done better.
Boris Johnson, a spokesman for the United Kingdom prime minister, stated that they have no intention of defunding the WHO. After the U.S., the U.K. is the country that gives the second-most to the WHO.
Bill Gates, whose foundation is the second-largest donor to the WHO, has also voiced dissent with the action.
“Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19, and if that work is stopped, no other organization can replace them,” Gates said in a tweet on Tuesday.
However, Trump is not acting alone in his anti-WHO action. Many officials agree with his criticisms of their early handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, is one of those who agree, according to Politico.
“The WHO has become a propaganda arm of the China Communist Party and is filled with CCP apologists. It has failed the world in this emergency,” Hawley said.
