US officially out of WHO, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars unpaid

Ars Technica
Ars Technica
6m ago
The US has exited WHO and is leaving significant unpaid assessed contributions, despite a congressional resolution requiring obligations to be paid before withdrawal.
US officially out of WHO, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars unpaid
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Key insights

  • 1

    Withdrawal followed a statutory one-year notice period but ties were cut earlier in practice: The 1948 joint resolution set a one-year withdrawal clock, but reports the administration ended cooperation with WHO immediately after announcing the intent to leave.

  • 2

    Unpaid dues conflict with the withdrawal conditions in the 1948 resolution: The resolution required full payment of obligations before departure, yet the US is reported to owe $278 million and the State Department indicated it would not pay.

  • 3

    WHO funding gap includes dues tied to GDP and a two-year budget cycle: The reported $278 million in dues reflects assessed contributions based on GDP and covers the 2024–2025 period under WHO’s biennial budgeting.

A What happened
As of today, the US is no longer a member of the World Health Organization. The withdrawal followed a one-year period triggered when the US notified WHO of its intent to exit, as required by a 1948 joint resolution of Congress. says the Trump administration effectively cut ties immediately upon announcing the intent to withdraw, citing complaints about WHO’s COVID-19 response, dues payments, and alleged protection of China. The joint resolution required the US to pay its financial obligations in full before departing, but the administration has not done so. Stat News reported the US owed WHO $278 million in dues for the 2024–2025 membership period under WHO’s two-year budget cycle, and a State Department spokesperson said there was no way the US would pay the debt.

Topics

Health & Medicine Public Health World & Politics Policy & Regulation International Affairs Diplomacy

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