While Trump’s threat to withhold $450 million in annual funding might have seemed like a decisive power play by the president, many researchers are scratching their heads wondering how this will play out, if at all. First and foremost, the WHO’s founding constitution lacks any provisions for countries to withdraw, although such a move is not without precedent.
The Soviet Union led a walkout of Eastern bloc countries in 1949, citing America’s dominance of the WHO as the reason for their departure, only returning after the death of Stalin in 1953.
Additionally, any funding that has already been provided by the United States can’t simply be taken back, nor can any voluntary contributions be pledged in advance.
