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The United States is set to formally withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, a move that has triggered widespread concern among global health experts and raised questions over its legality under U.S. law.
President Donald Trump issued notice of the withdrawal on the first day of his presidency in 2025 through an executive order. While U.S. law requires a one-year notice period and full payment of outstanding membership fees before exiting the UN health agency, the U.S. has yet to settle approximately $260 million in owed contributions.
Despite this, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said on Thursday that the administration had exercised its authority to halt any future funding or support to the WHO, accusing the organization of failing to adequately contain and manage global health crises.
“The American people have paid more than enough to this organization,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that the financial losses linked to the WHO’s actions far exceeded the country’s outstanding obligations.
Legal and International Backlash
The WHO has confirmed that the U.S. has not paid its membership fees for 2024 and 2025, and member states are expected to discuss the U.S. withdrawal at the organization’s executive board meeting in February.
Legal experts argue that the move violates U.S. law.
“This is a clear violation,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for Global Health Law at Georgetown University. “But Trump is highly likely to get away with it.”
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly urged Washington to reconsider, warning that the decision would harm both the U.S. and the global community.
“Withdrawing from WHO is a loss for the United States and a loss for the rest of the world,” he said earlier this month.
Global Health Impact
The U.S. has historically been the largest contributor to the WHO, accounting for roughly 18% of its total funding. Its departure has already triggered a severe budgetary crisis within the agency, forcing the WHO to halve its management team, scale back operations, and prepare for staff reductions of up to 25% by mid-year.
Speaking to Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said he did not expect the U.S. to rejoin the WHO in the near future.
“I don’t think the U.S. will be coming back anytime soon,” Gates said. “But the world needs the World Health Organization.”
Risks Moving Forward
While the WHO stated that it has continued to share information and collaborate with U.S. authorities over the past year, it remains unclear how cooperation will function going forward.
Public health experts warn that the U.S. withdrawal could weaken global systems designed to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging health threats.
“The U.S. withdrawal from WHO risks undermining the very collaborations the world depends on to manage future pandemics,” said Kelly Henning, public health lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies.
As the official exit date approaches, the move marks a significant shift in U.S. engagement with global health governance—one whose consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Washington.
