US Exits WHO After 77 Years: Europe Faces Test of Global Health Leadership
The United States completes its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, leaving behind $260 million in unpaid dues and a 20% funding gap. As Washington retreats from multilateral health governance, the EU faces pressure to fill the void.
The United States has formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, ending 77 years of membership and leaving behind more than $260 million in unpaid dues.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio jointly announced the "completion" of US withdrawal on 22 January 2026, exactly one year after President Trump signed Executive Order 14155 initiating the process. This marks the first time the US has not been a member of WHO since the organisation's founding in 1948.
A Founding Member Walks Away
The announcement triggered celebration among Trump supporters on social media, with many framing the exit as a victory for American sovereignty. The decision follows what the administration described as the WHO's "failures during the COVID-19 pandemic" and its "inability to maintain independence from political influence by member states."
All US funding to the WHO has been terminated, and personnel assigned to WHO headquarters in Geneva and offices worldwide have been recalled. The US will no longer participate in WHO-sponsored leadership bodies or working groups.
According to Al Jazeera, the WHO's chief legal officer noted the US was already "in arrears on its payments" for 2024 and 2025 before the formal withdrawal.
The Price of Isolation
The financial and operational consequences are significant. In recent years, US assessed contributions averaged approximately $111 million annually, with voluntary contributions adding roughly $570 million per year. The combined loss represents about 20% of WHO's total budget.
The WHO has already cut 22% of its staff in anticipation of the funding shortfall, according to STAT News. Experts warn this will hurt the global response to new outbreaks and limit America's own access to critical infectious disease intelligence from around the world.
Public health advocate Lucky Tran argued that "withdrawal is reckless and makes us all more vulnerable," emphasising the WHO's coordinating role in addressing transnational health issues including disease outbreaks and humanitarian disasters.
Europe Steps Up
The contrast with Europe's approach to global health could not be sharper. While Washington retreats from multilateral institutions, the European Union remains one of the WHO's largest voluntary donors and the fifth largest contributor overall.
When Trump initiated the withdrawal process, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach wrote that the US exit means "the loss of 20% of funding, but also highly qualified specialists from America." The EU and its member states provided critical support during the pandemic, committing more than EUR 53 billion to support partners' responses to COVID-19.
The question now facing Brussels is whether the EU can fill the gap left by Washington. According to Euronews, Elizabeth Kuiper of the European Policy Center noted that "in the current political and economic climate, it's less clear whether EU Member States will be able to fill the void this time around."
During Trump's first administration, Germany stepped in and significantly increased its contribution to fill the funding gap. The EU4Health programme has allocated EUR 5.3 billion in health promotion, diagnosis and treatment, and care to help countries strengthen their health systems.
Domestic Policy Shifts
The WHO withdrawal is part of a broader reorientation of US health policy under the Kennedy-led Department of Health and Human Services. The government has reduced recommended vaccines from 17 to 11, removing Hepatitis A and B, influenza, meningococcal, and chickenpox from universal recommendations.
Kennedy has also announced new dietary guidelines prioritising red meat and animal proteins, diverging from WHO recommendations that favour plant-based proteins. USAID, the US development agency that operated for six decades, has been shut down.
Federal health agencies including the CDC have implemented communication restrictions since January 2025, limiting website updates, case number releases, health advisories, and social media activity.
A Leadership Vacuum
For Europe, America's retreat from global health governance presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The EU has long advocated for strengthening WHO and supported negotiations on a legally binding Pandemic Agreement, which the US declined to endorse despite playing a central role in its negotiation.
Members of the European Parliament have formally questioned what concrete steps the Commission will take to step up EU action on global health financing and mitigate the harm resulting from these decisions.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that "for all intents and purposes" the US is "no longer participating in the work of the World Health Organization." WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had previously indicated the organisation was addressing funding shortfalls through cost reductions.
The withdrawal underscores a fundamental divergence in how the world's major powers view multilateral institutions. While the US turns inward, the EU continues to champion the international cooperation that underpins global health security. The next pandemic, whenever it comes, will test whether Europe's commitment to multilateralism can compensate for America's absence.
January 23, 2026