Trump halts WHO funding. Bill Gates, others say that's a mistake
The WHO says its work will continue uninterrupted.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responds to President Trump.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US would halt funding to the World Health Organization until a review is conducted of the group's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The move provoked some strong reactions, including from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
On Wednesday, the WHO said that it'll review the impact of Trump's decision but that it aims to have its work continue uninterrupted.
"The United States of America has been a longstanding and generous friend to WHO and we hope it will continue to be so. We regret the decision of the president of the United States to order a halt in funding to the World Health Organization," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing Wednesday. "For now, our focus, my focus, is to stopping this virus and saving lives."
Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros. #coronavirus https://t.co/gnY5tw6pVX
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 15, 2020
Here's what Gates and others are saying about Trump's decision to halt funding:
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Wednesday tweeted that not funding the WHO during a health crisis "is as dangerous as it sounds." He went on to say the organization can't be replaced and the world needs it now more than ever.
Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 15, 2020
Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CBS This Morning on Wednesday that the agency would continue to work with the WHO.
"You know, I'm just going to say that WHO has been a longstanding partner for CDC," he said. "We've worked together to fight health crises around the world. We continue to do that."
Do you view cutting off funding to @WHO as dangerous? — @AnthonyMasonCBS@CDCDirector: You know, I'm just going to say that W.H.O. has been a longstanding partner for CDC. We've worked together to fight health crises around the world. We continue to do that." pic.twitter.com/nf4gJs3Pob
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 15, 2020
In a statement Wednesday, US Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Myron Brilliant said the group "supports a reformed but functional World Health Organization," but that "cutting the WHO's funding during the COVID-19 pandemic is not in US interests given the organization's critical role assisting other countries — particularly in the developing world — in their response."
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