Following President Trump’s announcement that all American funding to the World Health Organization has been halted, the White House has since confirmed that the money will instead be directed to more reliable charitable organizations, as reported by the New York Post.
The United States had previously provided 10 percent of the WHO’s total budget of $4.8 billion, with such agencies as the USAID office, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Health and Human Services collectively contributing anywhere from $300 million to $400 million per year.
The funding will instead be redirected to several charities such as the Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse, while the WHO undergoes increased scrutiny for its mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak. The organization has been criticized for being too close to the Chinese government, even repeating the debunked Chinese talking point in January that the coronavirus was not contagious. It has also been criticized for its extravagant travel budget, which amounted to twice as much money as what was spent on medical equipment last year.