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File photo of the US Secretary of State. USA Mike Pompeo. (Reuters)
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Democrats called for the immediate restoration of US funds, which Trump suspended last week accusing the WHO of being “China-focused” and promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak.
- Reuters Washington
- Last update: April 23, 2020 10:54 PM IST
The US Secretary of State. The USA, Mike Pompeo, said that a fundamental reform of the World Health Organization was needed after its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and that the United States, the WHO’s largest donor, will never be able to restore funds for the organism the ONU.
As Pompeo launched new attacks on the UN body on Wednesday, Democrats in the United States House of Representatives accused the Trump administration of trying to “scapegoat” the WHO to distract itself from its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, they called for the immediate restoration of US funds, which Trump suspended last week accusing the WHO of being “China-focused” and promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak.
Pompeo told Fox News on Wednesday night that there must be “a WHO structural solution” to correct its “deficiencies.”
When asked if he did not rule out a change in WHO leadership, Pompeo replied: “Even more than that, it may be the case that the United States can never re-subscribe, causing US taxpayer dollars to go to the WHO”.
The WHO has denied the Trump administration charges and China insists that it has been transparent and open.
The United States has been the largest overall donor to WHO, contributing more than $ 400 million in 2019, about 15% of its budget. Senior US officials told Reuters last week that Washington could redirect these funds to other aid groups.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pompeo said the United States “strongly believed” that Beijing had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner, in violation of WHO rules, and that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom did not use his ability to “go public” when the member state was unable to follow those rules.
Pompeo said the WHO had an obligation to ensure compliance with safety standards in virology laboratories in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began, and its director-general had “tremendous authority over nations that do not comply. ”
The acting head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Wednesday that the United States will evaluate whether WHO is running properly and will look for alternative partners outside the agency.
The possibility that EE. USA Definitively stop funding the global body depends on Trump succeeding in his reelection bid in the November presidential vote, against alleged Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
The United States Congress controls federal spending and could pass legislation to guarantee WHO funding. However, to become law, he would need to get enough support, even from Trump Republicans, not just to pass but to override a likely veto.
According to a Reuters count, the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 180,000 people worldwide, including nearly 48,000 in the US. The US, which makes it the country most affected by official statistics.
