As the threat of COVID-19 increased in the United States, President Trump actively criticized the World Health Organization (WHO), which resulted in the immediate halt of funding. In response, China pledged that it would be supplying $30 million in funding to the organization, and this move received further criticism.
At the end of last week, Democratic congressional members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee joined forces to sign a letter directed to the President, which calls “on President Trump to restore funding to the World Health Organization and warn against shifting blame to the WHO in order to distract from the Trump Administration’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
#BREAKING: Committee Democrats call on President Trump to restore funding to the World Health Organization and warn against shifting blame to the @WHO in order to distract from the Trump Administration's failed response to the #coronavirus pandemic. pic.twitter.com/2FS2M6vDFu
— House Foreign Affairs Committee (@HouseForeign) April 23, 2020
The letter was signed by a number of Democratic lawmakers, which includes Florida Rep. Ted Deutch, Chairman of the committee and New York Rep. Eliot L. Engel, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro.
Earlier this month, President Trump made the announcement that the United States would no longer be funding the World Health Organization.
In a statement, the President commented that an investigation would be “conducted to access the World Health Organization in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the Coronavirus.” The President added that “American taxpayers provide between $4000 million and $500 million per year to the WHO, in contrast to China who contributes roughly $40 million a year and even less.”
In the letter, Democratic lawmakers respond to this move, arguing that “this global health emergency requires a comprehensive, global response.”
And, they assert to the President that “mistakes made by the WHO do not justify your halt in funding; nor do they excuse the serious failures of your administration in confronting this pandemic.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director, was questioned on his relationship with President Trump, and he commented that “the relationship we have is very good, and we hope this will continue.”
