US completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization, CDC says

The United States has completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, according to a statement published by the CDC on January 22, 2026. The announcement said the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department finalized the exit after a yearlong process that began with a plan announced on January 20, 2025. During that period, the US halted funding to the WHO, withdrew personnel, and shifted programs previously conducted through the organization toward direct bilateral work with countries and other partners.

In the statement, US officials framed the move as a response to what they described as WHO failures during the early stages of COVID-19, including delays in declaring a global public health emergency and declaring a pandemic, as well as concerns about the organization’s governance and exposure to political influence by member states. The statement also criticized aspects of WHO communications during the earliest period of the outbreak and argued that reforms after the pandemic were not sufficient to address underlying problems.

The CDC statement emphasized that the United States intends to continue pursuing global health objectives, but through “existing and new engagements” directly with other countries, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, and the private sector. The message positioned the shift as a way to keep global health work aligned with US priorities, including emergency response and biosecurity coordination, while reducing dependence on multilateral structures that the administration says it does not trust.

The decision has broad implications for outbreak surveillance, coordination on cross-border health threats, and the flow of technical information between US agencies and international partners. The WHO serves as a central hub for guidance and coordination during public health emergencies; leaving it raises questions about how US experts will participate in global rapid-response efforts and how data-sharing will work during fast-moving crises. The CDC statement said coordination with WHO will continue only in a limited fashion necessary to effectuate withdrawal.

Supporters of withdrawal argue it forces accountability and reduces exposure to bureaucratic delay, while critics warn it could weaken collective capacity to respond to pandemics and emerging threats. In practical terms, the most immediate test will be whether US agencies can maintain comparable visibility into outbreaks abroad and sustain collaboration on standards and recommendations, including those related to travel, vaccines, and global surveillance.

In the months ahead, lawmakers, public health leaders, and international partners are likely to press for clarity on how the US will replace functions it previously supported through WHO programs. That includes the question of where funding will go, which partnerships will be scaled up, and whether new mechanisms can provide the same reach and coordination during emergencies. The withdrawal marks a major policy break in how the US approaches global public health governance.