Within hours of taking office on January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The order halted all payments to WHO and recalled government employees or contractors working with WHO 'in any capacity.“ Public health scholars warned of 'dire consequences,” including reduced pandemic surveillance and preparedness. The WHO coordinates global disease outbreak monitoring, vaccine distribution, and emergency health response.
U.S. withdrawal undermines international pandemic preparedness at a time when bird flu, measles, and other diseases are spreading. This was the first of 57 documented attacks on scientific integrity identified by Senate investigation, setting the tone for systematic dismantling of public health infrastructure that followed.