“The United States will not make any payments to WHO prior to our withdrawal on January 22, 2026,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The costs [borne] by the American taxpayer and the American economy following the failure of the WHO during the COVID pandemic – and beyond – has already been too high. We will ensure that no more American money is sent to this organization.”
In addition, the US had also pledged to provide $490 million in voluntary contributions over those two years. The funding would have gone to efforts such as the WHO emergency health programme, tuberculosis control and polio eradication, Stat reports. Two anonymous sources told Stat that some of that money had been paid, but could not provide an estimate of the amount.
The loss of both past and future US financial support has been a major blow to the WHO. Immediately after the notification last January, the WHO began making cuts. These include freezing recruitment, limiting travel costs, making all meetings virtual, limiting IT equipment updates and suspending office renovations. The agency also began cutting back on staff and leaving vacancies unfilled. According to Stat, WHO staff is on track to be down 22 percent by the middle of this year.
At a recent press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the US withdrawal is a “lose-lose situation” for the US and the rest of the world. The US will lose access to infectious disease information and influence over outbreak responses, and global health care will be weakened overall. “I hope they will reconsider,” Tedros said.
