Trump formally withdraws U.S. from World Health Organization

PanARMENIAN.Net - The White House has officially moved to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a senior administration official confirmed Tuesday, July 7, breaking ties with a global public health body in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill says.

The U.S. has submitted its withdrawal notification to the United Nations secretary-general, the official said. Withdrawal requires a year's notice, so it will not go into effect until July 6, 2021, raising the possibility the decision could be reversed.

Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted that the administration informed Congress of the withdrawal plans.

"Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic," he said.

"To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn't do it justice. This won't protect American lives or interests—it leaves Americans sick & America alone."

The formal notification of withdrawal concludes months of threats from the Trump administration to pull the United States out of the WHO, which is affiliated with the United Nations. President Trump has repeatedly assailed the organization for alleged bias toward China and its slow response to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.