On July 7, Donald Trump notified the United Nations of his plans to withdraw U.S. funding from the World Health Organization (WHO). Chris Stewart, representing Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, supports this action.
Stewart, echoing Trump, blames the WHO for being too lenient on China, where the COVID-19 pandemic started. This blatant threat by Trump and Stewart is an attempt to deflect from the current administration’s lack of leadership. Disregard of experts’ advice is the true cause of the worsening U.S. health and economic crises.
The WHO has many global roles: setting standards for therapies for common diseases, drug approval in developing countries, developing guidelines for disease treatment, and providing for adequate nutrition to infants and children and resources to parents. Their professionals give health advice to all countries.
Pandemics don’t respect borders.
Trump’s cutting the funding to an organization like the WHO is akin to defunding the fire department while Mar-a-Lago is burning.
Who’s next, Mr. Stewart? Can the citizens of the 2nd Congressional District expect you to support defunding the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because they make Trump look bad?
Doug Rollins, M.D., Ph.D, Salt Lake City
