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President Trump is threatening to withhold U.S. taxpayer money from the World Health Organization (WHO) over the way the United Nations agency addressed the coronavirus.
The WHO is being criticized for protecting China’s interests regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) highlighted the WHO receives millions in tax-payer dollars, criticized their handling of the coronavirus, and called for a Congressional investigation.
Communist China lied about the #Coronavirus and the @WHO helped them.
We shouldn't be spending taxpayer $$ on an organization that helps China cover up their failures. Congress will investigate and we will hold the WHO accountable. pic.twitter.com/3oFvarXozP
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) April 7, 2020
The @WHO receives millions of dollars in US taxpayer $$ and helped the Chinese Communist Party cover up a global pandemic.
Today, I'm calling for a Congressional investigation into what the WHO knew and when they knew it. Read more: https://t.co/PnfWOz7EK1
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 31, 2020
Indeed, the WHO falsely put the world at ease on January 12 in a statement, saying, “At this stage, there is no infection among healthcare workers, and no clear evidence of human to human transmission.”
In January, President Trump formed the White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence.
The President also issued travel restrictions from China on January 31 and the WHO was critical over the president’s decision.
On February 29, the WHO criticized President Trump’s travel restrictions in a statement, saying, “WHO continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.”
During a coronavirus press briefing, President Trump called the WHO’s position “China-centric,” and also said, “We’re going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO.”
TRUMP: “We’re going to put a hold on money spent to the @WHO.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 7, 2020
The Hill reports:
The United States is the largest contributor to the WHO’s budget. The president’s fiscal 2021 budget request proposed slashing funding to the WHO, a body of the United Nations responsible for international public health, from $122 million to about $58 million.
WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took a shot at President Trump, saying, “If you don’t want many more body bags you refrain from politicizing it – please quarantine politicizing COVID.”
Former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden blasted President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus on Twitter.
Stop the xenophobic fear-mongering. Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your job. https://t.co/nQ5aLVrpyb
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 18, 2020
We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 1, 2020
However, Biden recently changed his tune and reversed his position on President Trump’s China travel ban.
CNN reports:
“Joe Biden supports travel bans that are guided by medical experts, advocated by public health officials, and backed by a full strategy,” Kate Bedingfeld, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, told CNN. “Science supported this ban, therefore he did too.”
The WHO should be held accountable for misleading the world over the severity of the coronavirus.
The U.N. agency failed in its basic mission to protect world health and such incompetence should not be rewarded with U.S. taxpayer money.
