Breaking News USA to Cut Funding to World Health Organization

[ThatTabiFromSB]

Trump, who had telegraphed his intentions last week, claimed the outbreak could have been contained at its source and that lives could have been saved had the U.N. health agency done a better job investigating the early reports coming out of China.

“The WHO failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable,” Trump said at a briefing. He said the U.S. would be reviewing the WHO’s actions to stop the virus before making any decision on resuming aid.

There was no immediate comment from the Geneva-based organization on Trump’s announcement. But when asked about possible U.S. funding cuts during a regular U.N. briefing earlier Tuesday, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris responded, “Regardless of any issues, our work will go on.”

Trump said the U.S. will continue to engage with the WHO in pursuit of “meaningful reforms.”

Brietbart

WASHINGTON—President Trump said the U.S. would halt funding to the World Health Organization while his administration investigates what he called the group’s mismanagement of the coronavirus response.

The president faulted the WHO for, in his view, failing to adequately investigate early information about the virus' ability to spread from one human to another and for not calling out China on it's lack of transparency on the virus.

Wallstreet Journal (I don't have access to the Wallstreet Journal anymore, due to lack of funds; but it's a good source imho.)

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he is halting funding to the World Health Organization while his administration reviews the group’s handling of the coronavirus, accusing it of bungling the response and failing to communicate the disease’s threat.

"With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible," Trump said during his nightly press briefing.

The move drew swift blowback from the medical community, which said it would undercut global efforts to combat a disease that’s sickened nearly 2 million people worldwide and still has no proven cure or vaccine.

Politico

So Trump's blaming WHO now. Which we all saw coming, since he said he was going to do exactly that last week.

It seems like a bad idea to me, afaik. Despite this setback, hopefully this doesn't actually impact the research and development for the eventual vaccine.

 

[Zachowon]

It shouldn't. The WHO trust china to much.
The countries that dont can make an actual vaccine

 

[ThatTabiFromSB]

It shouldn't. The WHO trust china to much.
The countries that dont can make an actual vaccine

WHO trusts all the nations, they literally have nothing to go on except what the nations give them. If China gives them data that is suspect; they have no choice but to take it in good faith while trying to verify it as much as they can. The same can be said for the rest of the world.

EDIT: Also, this should probably go in the Wuhan Pandemic main thread, shouldn't it?

 

[Zachowon]

WHO trusts all the nations, they literally have nothing to go on except what the nations give them. If China gives them data that is suspect; they have no choice but to take it in good faith while trying to verify it as much as they can. The same can be said for the rest of the world.

EDIT: Also, this should probably go in the Wuhan Pandemic main thread, shouldn't it?

No, since it separate at least I think so.
WHO does not let Taiwan into ot..which means they support CCP over the health if the world

 

[PsihoKekec]

Despite this setback, hopefully this doesn't actually impact the research and development for the eventual vaccine.

It won't, WHO doesn't do any actual research, it's supposed to do information exchange and effort coordination, but it does it badly due to bureaucratic bloat and subservience to China

 

[Deleted member 88]

WHO trusts all the nations, they literally have nothing to go on except what the nations give them. If China gives them data that is suspect; they have no choice but to take it in good faith while trying to verify it as much as they can. The same can be said for the rest the of the world.

EDIT: Also, this should probably go in the Wuhan Pandemic main thread, shouldn't it?

The WHO dare not offend China. If they went access to (hopefully) accurate data and government insight. Offend the CCP and the government can boot them out and then there is nothing they can do.

I would prefer the WHO and other such organizations simply call balls and strikes where they see them, but being booted out of China is enough incentive for them to be obeisant.

 

[Isem]

WHO trusts all the nations, they literally have nothing to go on except what the nations give them. If China gives them data that is suspect; they have no choice but to take it in good faith while trying to verify it as much as they can. The same can be said for the rest of the world.

They trusted China verbatim to the point of repeating nonsense like 'it can't spread from person to person" (archive link) even as it was becoming increasingly clear China was full of shit, argued against banning travel to and from China even as the disease was spreading, praised China's handling of the affair even though a large part of the reason this situation got as bad as it did was because China lied and tried to pretend nothing was going on for the initial stages (and if we're being honest chances are they're still lying at this point in time). Then there's their hilarious behavior when it comes to trying to ignore the existence Taiwan with one high ranking official quite literally pretending they didn't hear a question on Skype, closing the call then when called back pretending the interviewer's question was about China. And all that is ignoring how the WHO's Director General has been a Chinese boot lick which was why they supported his election to the spot in the first place. No other country would have gotten this kind of treatment from the WHO.

The WHO wasn't just ineffective they were actively damaging to the response to the virus solely for the purposes of propagandizing for China. At that stage what even is the point of funding an organization that won't do it's job properly because a country which is actually paying less then most managed to obtain an out sized amount of influence over it. Why bother paying an organization that has blatantly refused to do it's job in favor of kissing the Chinese government's ass? You'd be better off literally burning the money to keep the corona patients warm because at least that would actually do something to help.

 

[Deleted member 88]

I would hope it’s not they actually believed China and more they were just kissing ass out of fear of retaliation.

The former would imply they were fools, the latter shameless cowards.

For an organization devoted to world health-I would prefer the latter.

 

[ThatTabiFromSB]

They trusted China verbatim to the point of repeating nonsense like 'it can't spread from person to person" (archive link) even as it was becoming increasingly clear China was full of shit, argued against banning travel to and from China even as the disease was spreading, praised China's handling of the affair even though a large part of the reason this situation got as bad as it did was because China lied and tried to pretend nothing was going on for the initial stages (and if we're being honest chances are they're still lying at this point in time).

To be entirely fair, this was the opinion of the rest of the scientific-medical community for awhile too. Then they found out it was much worse, afaik.

Then there's their hilarious behavior when it comes to trying to ignore the existence Taiwan with one high ranking official quite literally pretending they didn't hear a question on Skype, closing the call then when called back pretending the interviewer's question was about China. And all that is ignoring how the WHO's Director General has been a Chinese boot lick which was why they supported his election to the spot in the first place. No other country would have gotten this kind of treatment from the WHO.

Well, there is no good explanation for that, I'll grant you. It is absolutely disgusting.

It won't, WHO doesn't do any actual research, it's supposed to do information exchange and effort coordination, but it does it badly due to bureaucratic bloat and subservience to China

In spite of their shortcomings, they have coordinated efforts among the European nations (Germany in particular), South Korea, and Japan.

I would surmise it is less subservience to China and more fear, as China wields quite a lot of clout politically. It amounts to the same thing, in the end, but it needs to be pointed out there is a difference.

 

[Floridaman]

I would hope it’s not they actually believed China and more they were just kissing ass out of fear of retaliation.

The former would imply they were fools, the latter shameless cowards.

For an organization devoted to world health-I would prefer the latter.

In an attempt to kiss ass, they bit the hand that feeds thinking the US would do nothing, the US needs to yank the leash and remind them who is keeping their organization afloat.

 

[hyperspacewizard]

The organization isn’t fulfilling its function and is corrupt to the core why waste money on it really the us should pull out of the un as well none of these big international organizations do anything but waste money on stupid crap and send there people all over the world in first class airplanes and five star resorts

 

[Isem]

To be entirely fair, this was the opinion of the rest of the scientific-medical community for awhile too. Then they found out it was much worse, afaik.

I'm not sure of the exact timeline when it comes to the general community positions so I'll refrain from arguing about that but what I can say without much doubt is that aside from the WHO no one who was paying attention was particularly pleased with China disappearing those who tried to raise any kind of alarm about the virus and generally doing it's best to say nothing was going on.

Well, there is no good explanation for that, I'll grant you. It is absolutely disgusting.

In the case of the Director General it actually gets worse the more you look into the guy. This isn't even the first time the guy has lied about a disease for a regime. Back when he was Health Minister in Ethiopia the man covered up several cholera outbreaks which promptly spread into neighboring countries. He called it "acute watery diarrhea" and said it was remote and hard to test even though the latter is false as cholera is easy to check for. Hundreds died as a result.

 

[Husky_Khan]

So this'll be the new assessment... halved from 112 million.

Meh... no big deal for either group it seems. Looks like a political canard for both sides. Symbolic for Trump and a few percentage points loss for the WHO if Trump follows through. The WHO budget is measured at just over four billion and the US only provides less then sixty million of it. Oh noes... Jeff Zucker can make up the difference I'm sure if he cares so much. After all three quarters of the WHO funding is from private/voluntary donations.

 

[Navarro]

I would surmise it is less subservience to China and more fear, as China wields quite a lot of clout politically. It amounts to the same thing, in the end, but it needs to be pointed out there is a difference.

I would note that the current director (who was also behind the utterly bizarre promotion of Robert Mugabe as a WHO goodwill ambassador) is a member of an Ethiopian party/recognised terror organisation with close ties to the CCP:



(the video's title is rather dramatic, but the facts it lays out are IMHO pretty damning).

 

[Cherico]

The Who has chosen China's intrest over American ones, that is fine that is their choice but like wise we are under no obligation to give money to people who fuck us over.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

The Who has chosen PRC's intrest over The World's ones, that is fine that is their choice but like wise we are under no obligation to give money to people who fuck us over.

The first people the PRC conquered was China. It's screwing The World and China is part of The World.

China is a victim of its own government. Too brainwashed or too afraid to really speak out.

 

[Terthna]

So this'll be the new assessment... halved from 112 million.

Meh... no big deal for either group it seems. Looks like a political canard for both sides. Symbolic for Trump and a few percentage points loss for the WHO if Trump follows through. The WHO budget is measured at just over four billion and the US only provides less then sixty million of it. Oh noes... Jeff Zucker can make up the difference I'm sure if he cares so much. After all three quarters of the WHO funding is from private/voluntary donations.

It probably won't stop with just the United States pulling funding; private donations will likely also take a hit, if Trump can pull this off without the Democrats blocking him. Which is unlikely, considering they've already started insisting that him ceasing payments to the WHO is illegal.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

The first people the PRC conquered was China. It's screwing The World and China is part of The World.

China is a victim of its own government. Too brainwashed or too afraid to really speak out.

Let us not forget that the Chinese military doesn't answer to the government and as a result the people of China at least technically speaking, no it answers directly to the CCP.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Let us not forget that the Chinese military doesn't answer to the government and as a result the people of China at least technically speaking, no it answers directly to the CCP.

Wait, what? The Chinese military doesn't answer to the government but it answers directly to the CCP?

There's a difference between the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party?

 

[Floridaman]

Wait, what? The Chinese military doesn't answer to the government but it answers directly to the CCP?

There's a difference between the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party?

while True in a technical sense there is no functional difference between the party and the state.