Trump says U.S. ‘terminating’ relationship with World Health Organisation

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. will be “terminating” its relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO), cutting off funding.

Trump has repeatedly criticised WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the organisation is “China-centric” after it advised against China travel bans early in the outbreak.

On April 14, Trump said: “Fortunately, I was not convinced and suspended travel from China, saving untold numbers of lives,”

The Organisation’s funding runs in two-year budget cycles. For the 2018-2019 funding cycle, the U.S. paid a $237 million required assessment in addition to $656 million in voluntary contributions, averaging $446 million a year and representing around 14.67 percent of the WHO’s total budget, according to its spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.

It is unclear exactly what mechanism the U.S. president intends to use to terminate WHO funding, much of which is appropriated by Congress.

Trump typically does not have the authority to unilaterally redirect congressional funding.