II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4240 

To prohibit the use of funds to withdraw the United States from the World 

Health Organization. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2020 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. LEAHY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of funds to withdraw the United States 

from the World Health Organization. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No WHO Withdrawal 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) In 1948, the United States became a state 

9 party to the Constitution of the World Health Orga10 nization, done at New York July 22, 1946, and enVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:49 Aug 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4240.IS S4240

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1 tered into force April 7, 1948 (62 Stat. 2679; TIAS 

2 1808), a multilateral treaty to which the United 

3 States was an original signatory and the terms of 

4 which the United States helped draft. 

5 (2) Pursuant to Article 4 of the Constitution of 

6 the World Health Organization, the United States 

7 accepted that Constitution’s terms in accordance 

8 with the provisions of that Constitution and in ac9 cordance with the constitutional processes of the 

10 United States. 

11 (3) The Constitution of the World Health Orga12 nization lacks an explicit withdrawal provision. 

13 (4) Congress passed the joint resolution entitled 

14 ‘‘Joint Resolution providing for membership and 

15 participation by the United States in the World 

16 Health Organization and authorizing an appropria17 tion therefor.’’, approved June 14, 1948 (62 Stat. 

18 441, chapter 469), authorizing the President to ac19 cept United States membership in the World Health 

20 Organization and specifying that the United States 

21 could withdraw from the Organization upon the sat22 isfaction of the following two conditions: 

23 (A) The United States would provide no24 tice one year before withdrawing. 


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1 (B) The United States would continue to 

2 meet its financial obligations to the World 

3 Health Organization for the Organization’s cur4 rent fiscal year. 

5 (5) That joint resolution authorized an annual 

6 appropriation to the Department of State for the 

7 payment by the United States of its share of the ex8 penses of the World Health Organization, and in 

9 doing so, Congress exercised both its constitutional 

10 power of the purse and its power to approve inter11 national agreements. 

12 (6) President Harry Truman’s statement of the 

13 acceptance of the United States of the Constitution 

14 of the World Health Organization expressly acknowl15 edged that he was ‘‘acting pursuant to the authority 

16 granted by the joint resolution . . . and subject to 

17 the provisions of that joint resolution’’ (62 Stat. 

18 2792). 

19 (7) On July 2, 1948, the World Health Assem20 bly unanimously recognized the validity of the ratifi21 cation of the Constitution of the World Health Orga22 nization by the United States. 

23 (8) The World Health Organization plays an es24 sential role in the global governance of health and 

25 infectious disease, including through setting norms 


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1 and sharing information, facilitating international 

2 coordination, providing technical support, and moni3 toring health trends around the world. 

4 (9) The United States was the World Health 

5 Organization’s largest donor in 2018 and 2019, pro6 viding $893,000,000, or about 15 percent, of the Or7 ganization’s budget. 

8 (10) On January 30, 2020, the World Health 

9 Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 

10 (commonly known as ‘‘COVID–19’’) outbreak a pub11 lic health emergency of international concern. 

12 (11) The World Health Organization is working 

13 to help countries manage and respond to COVID–19 

14 and a multitude of other public health threats, in15 cluding by improving preparedness and response ca16 pacity, accelerating research and development for 

17 treatment and therapeutics, distributing essential 

18 supplies, and coordinating across regions to assess, 

19 respond, and mitigate risk. 

20 (12) On April 14, 2020, in the midst of the 

21 deadliest global pandemic in decades, President 

22 Donald J. Trump announced the suspension of 

23 United States funding to the World Health Organi24 zation pending a review into the Organization’s re25 sponse to the spread of COVID–19. 


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1 (13) On July 6, 2020, President Trump sent a 

2 formal notice to Congress and the World Health Or3 ganization that the United States will withdraw 

4 from the Organization after 72 years of membership, 

5 despite the Organization’s vital role in the global re6 sponse to the COVID–19 pandemic. 

7 (14) The United States may not legally with8 draw from the World Health Organization Constitu9 tion until, at the earliest, July 6, 2021, one year 

10 after the date of the formal withdrawal notice, and 

11 the United States would still be legally obligated to 

12 pay the balance of its financial obligations to the 

13 World Health Organization. 

14 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

15 It is the policy of the United States— 

16 (1) to remain a member in good standing of the 

17 World Health Organization, including by payment of 

18 the financial obligations of the United States to the 

19 Organization; 

20 (2) to reject any efforts to withdraw the United 

21 States from the World Health Organization, either 

22 directly, or indirectly through condemnation of the 

23 Organization; and 


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1 (3) to continue to work within the World 

2 Health Organization to reform and improve the Or3 ganization. 

4 SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF FUNDS TO WITH5 DRAW FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZA6 TION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi8 sion of law, no funds described in subsection (b) may be 

9 obligated or expended to take any action to withdraw the 

10 United States from the World Health Organization. 

11 (b) FUNDS DESCRIBED.—The funds described in this 

12 subsection are funds— 

13 (1) authorized to be appropriated or otherwise 

14 made available for fiscal year 2021 or any fiscal year 

15 thereafter; or 

16 (2) authorized to be appropriated or otherwise 

17 made available for any fiscal year before fiscal year 

18 2021 and available for obligation as of the date of 

19 the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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