Executive orders issued on the first day of the presidency affect various health initiatives.
World Health Organization
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President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). The order was one of several focused on health care-related initiatives.
The order states that the US is withdrawing “due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
The order also states that the payments are unfair, with China having 300% more population than the US but paying 90% less to the organization.
The order establishes that the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs shall create directorates and coordinating mechanisms within the National Security Council apparatus “as he deems necessary and appropriate to safeguard public health and fortify biosecurity.”
All funding, support, and resources for the WHO from the US are immediately suspended, and the order mandates that the Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy “shall review, rescind, and replace the 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy as soon as practicable.”
Other executive orders issued by the president included:
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