The United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), marking the end of nearly eight decades of membership on January 22, 2026, exactly one year after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to exit the global health agency. Under WHO rules, a member state’s departure requires a one-year notice period, which concluded this week.
The Trump administration’s decision to leave the WHO dates back to January 20, 2025, when the executive order was signed shortly after Trump took office for a second term. It cited longstanding objections to the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns over accountability and perceived political influence, and the view that the United States contributed disproportionately large funding without commensurate benefit.
With the withdrawal now in effect, the U.S. has halted all funding contributions and formally withdrawn personnel from WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and WHO offices worldwide. It has also exited official participation in WHO committees, governance structures and technical working groups, and ended engagement in many WHO-sponsored initiatives.
Critics in the global health community say the departure undermines coordinated responses to infectious diseases and emergency outbreaks, warning that reduced U.S. involvement could hamper joint surveillance efforts, vaccine coordination and rapid responses to emerging health threats. Because the U.S. was historically the largest single contributor to WHO funding, its exit has already strained the organisation’s budget and led to operational cutbacks.
Despite these challenges, the U.S. government has stated that it will pursue health security cooperation through bilateral agreements and independent partnerships outside the WHO framework, and continues to support public health efforts through agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
