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President Trump moved quickly on Monday to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, a move that public health experts say will undermine the nation’s standing as a global health leader and make it harder to fight the next pandemic. In an executive order issued about eight hours after he took the oath of office, Mr. Trump cited a string of reasons for the withdrawal, including the W.H.O.’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic,” and the “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms.” (Gay Stolberg, 1/20)

Trump’s announcement had been expected by health experts. In public and private, officials and academics raised concerns about the decision, which they said endangers the health of the nation and the world. “This is going to be a grave strategic error that will make America less healthy and less safe,” Lawrence Gostin, a global public health expert and the faculty director of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, told USA TODAY. “The withdrawal itself is going to isolate the United States,” Gostin said. “It’ll isolate us diplomatically, and it’ll isolate us in pandemic response.” (Cuevas, 1/20)

The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go. (1/21)

Berlin will try to talk U.S. President Donald Trump out of his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, Germany's health minister said on Tuesday. (1/21)

The consequences could be dramatic. Beyond its membership dues of roughly $110 million annually, the U.S. is one of the biggest voluntary donors, contributing $1.1 billion in 2022 and 2023 combined. All told, the country provides about one-fifth of WHO’s budget. Other members might make up some of the difference, as they did when Trump slashed U.S. contributions during his first term. But European countries are facing other challenges, such as stagnating economies and pressure to increase defense spending, says Ilona Kickbusch, a global health expert at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Voices skeptical of WHO are also proliferating within the European Union, she says, and might be emboldened to reduce funding if the U.S. leaves. (Vogel, 1/17)