Trump’s Decision To Cut Off WHO Funding Draws Swift Push Back From Medical Community, Democrats
“During the worst public health crisis in a century, halting funding to the World Health Organization is a dangerous step in the wrong direction that will not make defeating COVID-19 easier,” American Medical Association President Patrice Harris said. President Donald Trump had previously floated the idea, which critics say is the president's way of trying to shift blame for his own early missteps.
Stat:
Trump Announces Formal Freeze On WHO Funding, Pending An Investigation
President Donald Trump formally announced Tuesday that the United States will freeze funding to the World Health Organization, pending a formal investigation into the global health agency and its coronavirus response. In prepared remarks, Trump accused the organization of “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” suggesting that the group overly relied on unverified reports from China, which Trump argued caused a “twenty-fold increase in cases worldwide.” He did not cite a source for that figure. (Florko, 4/14)
The New York Times:
Criticized For Pandemic Response, Trump Tries Shifting Blame To The W.H.O.
For weeks, President Trump has faced relentless criticism for having overseen a slow and ineffective response to the coronavirus pandemic, failing to quickly embrace public health measures that could have prevented the disease from spreading. Recent polls show that more Americans disapprove of Mr. Trump’s handling of the virus than approve. So on Tuesday, the president tried to shift the blame elsewhere, ordering his administration to halt funding for the World Health Organization and claiming the organization made a series of devastating mistakes as it sought to battle the virus. He said his administration would conduct a review into whether the W.H.O. was responsible for “severely mismanaging and covering up” the spread. (Shear and McNeil, 4/14)
The Washington Post:
Trump Announces Cutoff Of New Funding For The World Health Organization Over Pandemic Response
Trump’s announcement was expected, as he seeks to deflect blame for his early dismissal of the virus as a threat to Americans and the U.S. economy. It is not yet clear how the United States will cut off money to the main international organization focused on fighting the pandemic, or whether Trump is setting conditions for a resumption of U.S. payments. “We have not been treated properly,” Trump said, as he announced a suspension period of 60 to 90 days for U.S. funding. (Gearan, 4/14)
The Associated Press:
Trump Ends US Aid To WHO, Says Not Enough Done To Stop Virus
The United States contributed nearly $900 million to the WHO’s budget for 2018-19, according to information on the agency’s website. That represents one-fifth of its total $4.4 billion budget for those years. The U.S. gave nearly three-fourths of the funds in “specified voluntary contributions” and the rest in “assessed” funding as part of Washington’s commitment to U.N. institutions. (Superville, 4/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. To Cut Funding To World Health Organization Over Coronavirus Response
Democrats panned Mr. Trump’s decision, arguing it could complicate global efforts to respond to the outbreak. “Any attempt by the President to force United States health experts to work without the WHO would be counterproductive and lead to more suffering in the end,” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D., N.Y.) said. (Restuccia, 4/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Suspends U.S. Funding For World Health Organization
Before the briefing had concluded, Democrats and public health officials expressed their outrage over the suspension of U.S. support for the WHO. “Withholding funds for WHO in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century makes as much sense as cutting off ammunition to an ally as the enemy closes in,” said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. He suggested Trump was trying to deflect attention from the laggard federal response to the crisis by blaming a little-known U.N. agency for its operations in China. (Stokols, 4/14)
Politico:
Trump Halts Funding To World Health Organization
The move drew swift blowback from the medical community, which said it would undercut global efforts to combat a disease that’s sickened nearly 2 million people worldwide and still has no proven cure or vaccine. “Fighting a global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data,” said Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, who urged the administration to reconsider. (Ollstein, 4/14)
The Hill:
American Medical Association Calls On Trump To Reconsider 'Dangerous' Halting Of WHO Funding
“Fighting a global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data. Cutting funding to the WHO – rather than focusing on solutions – is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world,” she added. “The AMA is deeply concerned by this decision and its wide-ranging ramifications, and we strongly urge the President to reconsider.” The broadside against Trump comes shortly after the president said he will halt funding to the WHO while administration officials review the organization's “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”(Axelrod, 4/14)
ABC News:
GOP Senators, Starting Probe, Demand WHO Turn Over Details On COVID-19's Origin
Republican senators on Tuesday sent a wide-ranging demand for information, records and documents to the World Health Organization regarding the origins of the novel coronavirus, part of a larger investigation into the global response to the pandemic. In a letter to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, along with Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and a handful of GOP colleagues, requested a sweeping list of materials regarding what they called "WHO’s failed and delayed response to the Coronavirus." (Turner, 4/14)
The Hill:
Pompeo Says WHO Needs 'To Do Its Job' As Trump Moves To Halt Funding
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday night, saying the international body needs to “do its job” as President Trump moves to halt U.S. funding to the group. “[W]e need transparency, and we need the World Health Organization to do its job, to perform its primary function, which is to make sure that the world has accurate, timely, effective, real information about what’s going on in the global health space. And they didn’t get that done here,” Pompeo said on Fox News. (Axelrod, 4/14)
Reuters:
Global Reaction To Trump Withdrawing WHO Funding
China urged the United States to fulfil its obligations to the WHO. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected nearly 2 million people globally, was at a critical stage and that the U.S. decision would affect all countries. (4/14)
Reuters:
Trump Cuts WHO Funding Over Coronavirus, Global Toll Mounts
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was not the time to reduce resources for the WHO. “Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” he said in a statement. (Mason and Duran, 4/14)
