Global health agencies in trouble as Republicans threaten to cut off funding
First up is Fox: A group of House Republicans is pushing to completely block U.S. funding for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Texas Rep. Chip Roy, the policy chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced the bill on Tuesday and argued that the international health agency “is not in our interests and not worth our money.”
He also attacked current efforts by WHO member states to draft an international pandemic preparedness treaty, accusing the organization of aiming to consolidate and expand its influence.
“It’s unacceptable to take money from hard-working families affected by Biden’s inflation crisis and then give it to a bunch of left-wing ‘public health’ tyrants in Geneva,” Roy told Fox News Digital.
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Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus talks to the media about the 2021 novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). ((Salvatore di Nolfi/Keystone, AP))
“I believe President Trump will cut off funding to the World Health Organization — as he did last time — but this legislation will ensure that future administrations cannot turn it back on.”
At least a dozen Republican lawmakers support the bill.
A large number of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, have been critical of the WHO, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, appears outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, July 25, 2024, after the final vote before the August recess. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
According to Politico’s report at the time, Trump announced that he would stop funding the World Health Organization during his first term in April 2020, a move that aroused strong opposition from the American medical community.
Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, told the media: “Fighting the global pandemic requires international cooperation and reliance on science and data.”
However, conservatives in Congress view the group as a power-hungry organization that does not have U.S. interests in mind.
According to the World Population Review, the United States is currently the largest donor to the World Health Organization. The organization’s website says 60% of its funding comes from member countries.
Roy’s “WHO Taxpayer Funding Act” would cease all contributions to the WHO, including pledged funds and other voluntary funds.
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Commenting on Roy’s bill, a WHO spokesman said the agency was focused on maintaining its relationship with the United States.
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“WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in December last year that the new U.S. government has not yet taken office, and like any new government, it will take time. As Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, WHO will do its best to work with The incoming U.S. administration will work together to continue strengthening global health security.
“I would like to add that WHO’s partnership with the United States and the United States’ contribution to broader global health security protects and saves millions of lives in the United States and around the world. WHO takes its relationship with the United States very seriously , and is committed to maintaining and strengthening relations with the United States.
