The World Health Organization (WHO) is the agency in the United Nations whose responsibility is to promote global public health, including by increasing access to essential health and nutrition services and by fighting pandemics. The withdrawal of the United States, which contributes about twenty percent of WHO's budget, would seriously jeopardize the organization's ability to do its job and fulfill its mission around the world. Our nation's contributions to the WHO are very much in our self interest. If the WHO cannot do its job, then outbreaks of diseases in foreign countries may spiral out of control and become increasingly likely to come to our shores. Furthermore, withdrawing from the WHO would mean that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would lose access to global data that the WHO currently provides to our country. This would prove devastating during future pandemics where we must collaborate with our allies and international partners.

Notably, this executive order also rescinds the Biden administration EO 13987 which organized and mobilized the federal government to provide an effective response to COVID-19.