According to a joint statement by the U.S. State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Washington administration confirmed that it will not provide government funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Gavi vaccine alliance. The statement said this step aligns with President Donald Trump's instruction to Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to 'conduct reform negotiations with Gavi for renewed U.S. support'.
Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had pressed for the resumption of U.S. funding to Gavi, welcomed the decision to exclude the WHO from the alliance. According to the State Department, Gavi agreed to work with its board and partner countries to replace mercury-containing vaccines with mercury-free alternatives.
Trump's history of tensions with the WHO
The Trump administration's latest move continues a tension that began in 2020. At that time, Trump temporarily halted funding to the organization, citing its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and claimed the WHO was spreading China's 'disinformation' about the virus. In 2019, the U.S. was the WHO's largest donor, contributing over $400 million—about 15% of its budget.
In January 2021, then-President Joe Biden reversed Trump's decisions, restoring U.S. funding and halting the withdrawal process from the WHO. However, on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025, Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the WHO and suspended contributions. Experts say these orders reflect an ideological stance rather than a strategic positioning.
The WHO is funded through membership dues paid by member states and voluntary contributions from various partners. Its budget of approximately $3.4 billion is about one-third of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which received $9.3 billion in core funding in 2023.
WHO funding supports programmes for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as polio, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and measles, particularly in countries that struggle to provide health services domestically. It also responds to health emergencies in conflict zones such as Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Maria Nica / Editor
