The United States has not moved to quit the Americas branch of the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), despite its wider pullback from global health. President Donald Trump started the 12-month withdrawal process for the U.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been prohibited from co-authoring publications with World Health Organization staff, dealing a blow to global research efforts and continuing the Trump administration’s aggressive attack on government-funded science.
The US withdrawal will not officially happen until January 2026, so there will be months of uncertainty over budgets and strategic direction at the near-80-year-old agency. Set up by the United Nations, the organization’s goals include expanding universal health coverage and coordinating the world’s response to health emergencies.
The Utah senator, along with other Republican lawmakers, introduced legislation calling for a ‘complete withdrawal’ from the international organization.
The approximately $600 million of the department’s budget that comes from federal funds has not been cut yet, but the concern keeps interim Commissioner Michelle Morse up at night.