Today, April 15, U.S. President Donald Trump asked his government to stop funding the World Health Organization (WHO). Trump said the WHO has "no primary responsibility" in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and accused the UN of insufficient oversight and withholding information about the spread of the virus, at the start of the epidemic in China, adding that the organization should be held accountable.
"I am ordering my administration to stop funding while the review is underway to assess WHO's role in the gross misuse and concealment of the spread of the coronavirus," Trump announced at a White House press conference today.
Reacting to Trump's statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that now is not the time to reduce WHO resources.
The United States is a major donor to the WHO. Last year, the country gave $400 million, just under 15% of the organization's total budget.
There are currently more than 608,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the United States, including more than 24,000 deaths.
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