Trump freezes WHO funding for 2024-2025. WHO slashes jobs, shutters programs

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The Trump administration’s decision to freeze U.S. funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2024-2025 fiscal years is a much-needed blow to an organization long criticized for its inefficiency and mismanagement. With the U.S. contributing roughly $400 million annually, or 15% of the WHO’s budget, the funding freeze leaves the WHO scrambling to fill a $650 million hole. The WHO’s financial woes are self-inflicted—it has been plagued by scandals, slow responses to global health crises, and a failure to hold accountable those who misuse resources.

This freeze, while disruptive, is long overdue. The WHO has consistently failed to deliver on its mission, whether during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic or its inadequate response to other outbreaks. It has repeatedly been accused of coddling authoritarian regimes like China, allowing them to control the narrative and avoid responsibility for global health failures. Why should American taxpayers foot the bill for an organization that can’t even manage a simple health emergency without chaos?

The programs affected by this freeze, such as vaccine distribution and disease surveillance in over 120 countries, have been ineffective at best. The WHO’s track record has been less about saving lives and more about inefficiency and scandal. For years, the organization has shown a complete lack of accountability in handling resources. Now, the loss of U.S. funding might push the WHO to finally rethink its priorities, especially after the missteps that left so many vulnerable during global health crises.

The reality is that the WHO is highly dependent on U.S. taxpayer money, and the freeze puts pressure on it to either clean up its act or face further financial scrutiny. While the suspension of funding will no doubt disrupt some efforts, it may also open the door to more efficient and accountable alternatives in the global health landscape. In the end, this freeze might serve as a wake-up call for the WHO and other international organizations to operate more effectively or risk losing their legitimacy.

Trump’s funding freeze is a challenge to the status quo, forcing the WHO to face its failures head-on. Perhaps it’s time the organization rethinks how it operates, manages funds, and holds itself accountable to the countries it purports to serve.

Sources:
https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/03/law-allocate-funding-trumps-funding-freeze-faces-bipartisan-and-renewed-court-opposition/404109/ https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/global/1821794-us-halts-funding-to-who-for-2024-25-health-programs-impacted https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-funding-freeze-blatant-violation-constitution-federal-law/story?id=118183957