The United States has formally rejected the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new measures to deal with international health emergencies.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a joint statement on the matter. The WHO's pandemic measures, agreed to in June of 2024, were set to become binding had they not been rejected by July 19th.
Kennedy argued that accepting the proposed criterion would threaten American sovereignty, open up doors to unlawful surveillance of US citizens, and lead to the type of “propaganda and censorship” this country experienced during COVID.
“The proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations open the door to the kind of narrative management, propaganda, and censorship that we saw during the COVID pandemic,” Secretary Kennedy said.
“The United States can cooperate with other nations without jeopardizing our civil liberties, without undermining our Constitution, and without ceding away America’s treasured sovereignty.”
BREAKING: HHS Secretary @RobertKennedyJr *REJECTS* the United States' participation in the WHO's pandemic measures.
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 18, 2025
“The deadline to reject these amendments is next week, and we are rejecting them.” pic.twitter.com/GKU9DHVXjV
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Rubio concurred, stating that the WHO's international health agreement employs overly broad terminology, whose loose interpretations could lead to forced groupthink, something America also witnessed during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Secretary of State also put forth an America First platform in his response.
“Terminology throughout the amendments to the 2024 International Health Regulations is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions,” Rubio explained
“Our Agencies have been and will continue to be clear: we will put Americans first in all our actions, and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy, or personal liberties.”
Today the U.S. rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations, delivering on the Trump Administration’s promise to fight for Americans in the international system. @StateDept and @HHSGov are working together to ensure our national sovereign right to make…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 18, 2025
The days of the WHO leading on pandemic proposals, after fumbling the response to the previous pandemic, are over, at least in this country. Good.
The measures had sought to have member nations commit to additional financing and medical products for the organization to “equitably address the needs and priorities of developing countries, including for developing, strengthening and maintaining core capacities."
A goal of equity should never guide a health organization. They should be guided by science, ready to allocate funds where they will have the most effective impact in addressing the emergency at hand.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing the United States' intention to withdraw from the WHO "due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China."
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