Not unlike his experience during his first term, President Donald Trump and his administration are facing all manner of defiance from within, impeding his agenda’s progress.
The latest example of this involves the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the World Health Organization.
One of Trump’s earliest campaign promises, dating all the way back to 2016, involved withdrawing America from the WHO.
He actually did so (despite that aforementioned internal resistance) as the 45th president, before former President Joe Biden reversed the decision during his lone term as the 46th.
Now that he’s back in office as the 47th president, Trump is once again withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO.
In a January executive order, Trump laid out exactly why, with a particularly critical eye on China:
“The United States noticed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020 due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.
“In addition, the WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.
“China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 percent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.”
Part of that January EO said that the government will “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO,” and “recall and reassign United States Government personnel or contractors working in any capacity with the WHO.”
Turns out that the CDC did not get that memo.
In a blistering report from the U.K.’s Daily Mail, CDC officials confirmed with the outlet that they have no intention of severing ties with the WHO.
A CDC representative confirmed with the Mail that the organization “will be actively participating virtually” at an upcoming WHO conference in London about flu vaccines.
Additionally, the Mail reported that the FDA is also participating in this conference, in further defiance of Trump’s executive order.
The Mail further added: “But the two government agencies would likely have had to seek an exemption from the Trump administration due to its ban on all communications with the WHO.
“Twice annually, WHO organizes consultations with an advisory group of experts to analyze global flu data, with recommendations issued on the composition of vaccines for the next flu season.”
Neither the CDC nor the FDA made public that they would be participating in this conference.
Trump had not publicly remarked on this report of defiance as of early Tuesday afternoon.
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