Trump ditched the World Health Organization. His new plan will cost three times as much, report says [View all]
Source: The Independent
Thursday 19 February 2026 14:29 EST
The Trump administration is reportedly proposing to spend around $2 billion per year replicating the global health capabilities of the World Health Organization, after the U.S. finalized its exit from the UN agency last month.
The Department of Health and Human Services is reportedly driving the effort to build up the U.S. labs, data-sharing networks, and rapid-response systems that it previously had access to as part of the global health agency, unnamed officials told The Washington Post.
The figure is roughly triple the U.S.’s past annual contributions to the WHO, which averaged about $680 million in member dues and voluntary contributions. The Independent has contacted HHS and the White House for comment.
President Trump has long criticized the agency, moving to leave in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, but that effort was retracted under the Biden administration. When Trump returned to the White House, he restarted the exit, citing, among other issues, “unfairly onerous payments” in a January 2025 executive order announcing his decision.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-who-replacement-cost-hhs-b2923875.html
Link to Washington Post REPORT - https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/19/alternative-world-health-organization-proposal/
(msn link - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/after-leaving-who-trump-officials-propose-more-expensive-replacement-to-duplicate-it/ar-AA1WFXka)
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