President Donald Trump has previously criticized the World Health Organization as well as proposing a budget cut. Now, in a move that many may have already seen coming, Trump has announced to withhold funding for the WHO for the same criticism.
BBC reports that in the latest press briefing at the White House, Trump announced halting funding for the UN organization, reiterating his previous criticism that the organization made wrong calls in handling the pandemic. Trump continued to accuse WHO of failure to fulfill its duty in handling the pandemic, as well as covering up the spread of the virus in China and said that they should be held accountable.
“I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus…The WHO failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable,” said Trump.
The United States is the organization’s single biggest funder providing $400 million last year alone. The US is also the worst-hit country as of late, with over 500,000 cases and over 25,000 deaths, the state of New York alone suffering from over 100,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths.
Trump has also highlighted his desire to lift the nationwide lockdown and reopen the United States by May, with May 1st being the desired date. However, top health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci mentioned in another interview that there is no set date as to when the lockdown can be lifted and that it would depend on how the outbreak plays out over the next few weeks.
Previously, Trump claimed to have total authority to reopen the country and lift the lockdown. “When somebody is president of the United States, the authority is total,” said Trump in a previous briefing when asked if he had the authority to override the state governors’ orders.
The US Constitution states that state governors alone have the authority to maintain public order and safety in their respective states. The President cannot override the orders that were already set in place by the governors.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo then criticized Trump’s remarks during his own press conference. “His proclamation is that he would be king, that’s what a king is. A king has total authority. That statement cannot stand,” said Cuomo.