Washington: The United States announced that it has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization, ending its membership in the global health body. The move, the Trump administration said, fulfills a promise made on the president’s first day in office.

In a joint statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the withdrawal was carried out through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump and was aimed at freeing the United States from what they described as the organization’s constraints.

“Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), freeing itself from its constraints, as President Trump promised on his first day in office by signing E.O. 14155,” the statement said. “This action responds to the WHO’s failures during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to rectify the harm from those failures inflicted on the American people.”

The statement accused the WHO of abandoning its core mission and acting against US interests, despite the United States being a founding member and the organization’s largest financial contributor.

According to the administration, the WHO pursued “a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests,” and failed to ensure the timely and accurate sharing of information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement said those failures may have cost American lives and were later concealed “under the pretext of acting ‘in the interest of public health.’”

The administration also criticized the WHO’s conduct following the US decision to withdraw, saying the organization refused to hand over the American flag displayed at its headquarters and claimed it had not approved the US withdrawal.

“From our days as its primary founder, primary financial backer, and primary champion until now, our final day, the insults to America continue,” the statement said.

The administration said US engagement with the WHO will now be limited strictly to completing the withdrawal process and protecting the health and safety of Americans. All US funding for and staffing of WHO initiatives has ended.

The statement said the United States will continue to lead global public health efforts through direct, bilateral partnerships and cooperation with trusted health institutions.

“We will continue to work with countries and trusted health institutions to share best practices, strengthen preparedness, and protect our communities,” the statement said, while criticizing the WHO as a “bloated and inefficient bureaucracy.”

The administration said the withdrawal was intended to honor Americans affected by the pandemic, including those who died in nursing homes and businesses harmed by pandemic restrictions.

“Our withdrawal is for them,” the statement said.

The United States was a founding member of the WHO in 1948 and has historically been its largest single contributor. The decision marks a major shift in US engagement with international health institutions and follows long-standing criticism of the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.