President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was placing a hold on U.S. funding to the World Health Organization pending a review of the group's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump said the group failed to gather, funnel and distribute information about the initial outbreak of the virus which has shut down much of the world. He criticized the group for opposing his travel restrictions on China, which Trump has praised himself for doing in January. 

"The reality is that the WHO failed to adequately obtain, vet, and share information in a timely and transparent fashion," he said at a Rose Garden press briefing.

Still, Trump said the U.S. would continue to work with the WHO "to see if it can make meaningful reforms" and meanwhile work directly with foreign countries on global health issues.

“President Donald Trump made it official that the administration was halting money to the World Health Organization, the international body that said in January that COVID-19 could not be spread by human-to-human contact, and praised China’s response to the virus.”
 
“Our countries are now experiencing—look all over the world—tremendous death and economic devastation because those tasked with protecting us by being truthful and transparent failed to do so,” the President said.

Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Cmte say they support President Trump withholding World Health Organization funds until Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus resigns. Rep.Michael McCaul and GOP members say in letter to Trump they have “lost faith” in Tedros’ ability to lead the WHO and “recommend that you condition any future Fiscal Year 2020 voluntary contributions to the WHO on the resignation of Director-General Tedros”

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) stated: “It is unconscionable that President Trump would stop funding the World Health Organization in the middle of a global pandemic that has already seen more than 125,000 people around the world – including more than 25,000 Americans – lose their lives.  This move will jeopardize the health of millions of people just as the southern hemisphere’s virus season begins."

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