In this file photo taken on June 25, 2020 US President Donald Trump gestures following a tour of Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. (AFP)
President Donald Trump has formally withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization, making good on threats over the UN body’s response to the coronavirus, a senator said Tuesday.
“Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the US from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic,” Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on Twitter.
Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic.
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) July 7, 2020
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.
US confirms notice of withdrawal from WHO
A State Department spokesperson and another official confirmed the news, saying that the United States told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the WHO’s biggest contributor will leave effective July 6, 2021.
Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.
In April, President Trump announced a suspension of US funding to WHO because he said it had covered up the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak in China before it spread around the world.
According to Trump, the WHO prevented transparency over the outbreak and the United States – the UN body’s biggest funder which provided $400 million last year – will now “discuss what to do with all that money that goes to the WHO.”
“With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible.”
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Read more:
Coronavirus: US House committee begins probe into Trump’s WHO aid blocking
Russia slams ‘selfish’ US move to halt WHO funding amid coronavirus pandemic
China, WHO ‘totally responsible’ for coronavirus pandemic: US-China expert
In a related development, WHO on Tuesday acknowledged “evidence emerging” of the airborne spread of the novel coronavirus, after a group of scientists urged the global body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease passes between people.
