Newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In 2020, Trump started the ball rolling toward extricating the U.S. from the United Nations agency, but President Joe Biden reversed course after taking office in 2021.
‘The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States’ July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked,’ Trump’s order declares.
‘The Secretary of State shall immediately inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations, any other applicable depositary, and the leadership of the WHO of the withdrawal,’ the order instructs.
The U.S. Senate voted 99-0 on Monday to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as Secretary of State — Rubio voted for himself before resigning from the Senate.
Trump’s order calls for the Secretary of State and director of the Office of Management and Budget to ‘pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO;’ ‘recall and reassign United States Government personnel or contractors working in any capacity with the WHO;’ as well as ‘identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.’
The WHO issued a statement on Tuesday lamenting Trump’s decision, and expressing hope that the U.S. will rethink the move.
‘The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization,’ the globalist body noted. ‘We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.’
Trump signed a flurry of orders after taking office on Monday.
One of them declares it U.S. policy ‘to recognize two sexes, male and female,’ which ‘are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.’
Trump is only the second president in U.S. history to win election to two non-consecutive terms — the first was Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report
