Trump Administration Rejects WHO Pandemic Amendments, Citing U.S. Sovereignty

The Trump administration has formally rejected a series of amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations, arguing they infringe on U.S. sovereignty and individual freedoms. The decision marks a sharp departure from the previous administration’s stance and continues President Donald Trump’s efforts to distance the United States from the UN health agency.

In a joint statement issued Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the amendments, agreed by member states at the World Health Assembly last year, would allow the WHO to exert undue influence over U.S. public health policy.

“These changes risk unwarranted interference with our national sovereign right to make health policy,” the statement read. “We will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy or personal liberties.”

The United States had initially supported negotiations on the amendments under President Joe Biden, but since Trump’s return to office on January 20, the administration has halted U.S. involvement with the WHO and initiated the country’s withdrawal from the organization.

The amendments aim to strengthen the global response to future pandemics and include provisions for greater transparency, equity in emergency response, and the establishment of a review group to assess the needs of developing nations. They stop short of granting the WHO the power to impose public health mandates like lockdowns, which Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

“We regret the U.S. decision to reject the amendments,” Ghebreyesus said. “They are clear about respecting member states’ sovereignty. The WHO cannot mandate national lockdowns or similar measures.”

The rejection places the United States at odds with the majority of WHO member nations, which had endorsed the amendments following the failure to reach consensus on a broader pandemic treaty. The U.S. cited concerns over intellectual property protections and foreign influence, particularly from China, as reasons for its non-participation in the final treaty signed in May.

Rubio and Kennedy also criticized what they called the WHO’s “susceptibility to political influence and censorship,” referencing allegations about the organization’s handling of early COVID-19 information from China.

Countries have until Saturday to file official reservations to the amendments. While some conservative groups in countries like the U.K. and Australia have echoed similar concerns, those governments have remained supportive of the revised regulations.

The rejection signals a broader ideological shift in U.S. global health policy under Trump’s second term, raising questions about future international cooperation on public health emergencies.