Graham Pledges To Cut WHO Funding After Trump Slams Coronavirus Response

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is backing President Trump’s decision to reassess US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the next coronavirus appropriations bill unless the organization makes top-down changes to leadership.

“I’m not going to support funding the WHO under its current leadership,” Graham told Fox News, adding “They’ve been deceptive, they’ve been slow, and they’ve been Chinese apologists. I don’t think they’re a good investment under the current leadership for the United States, and until they change their behavior and get new leadership, I think it’s in America’s best interest to withhold funding because they have failed miserably when it comes to the coronavirus.”

Lindsey Graham says he’s going to take the burden off the President and use his position on the appropriations subcommittee to eliminate any money for the WHO in the next appropriations bill pic.twitter.com/PnxLmcWaYG

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 7, 2020

Graham’s comments follow President Trump’s condemnation of the WHO on Tuesday – when he repeatedly threatened to cut funding to the UN-linked body for being “very biased towards China” as well as 0its terrible response to COVID-19.

“We’re going to put a very powerful hold on it, and we’re going to see. It’s a great thing if it works, but when they call every shot wrong, that’s not good,” said Trump – only to later soften his tone and say he’s still considering the move.

The U.S. is the biggest contributor to the WHO’s budget in the world. Trump’s fiscal 2021 budget request proposed cutting funding $122 million to about $58 million.

The WHO has continually voiced warnings about the dangers of the novel coronavirus since it first appeared in Wuhan, China, last December. The organization declared that the virus’s outbreak was a public emergency of international concern in January and then declared it was a pandemic in mid-March. 

But the organization said in early February that widespread travel bans were not necessary to prevent the outbreak. Trump on Tuesday accused the WHO of disagreeing with his decision to enforce travel restrictions on incoming flights from China. –The Hill

Last week Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) demanded the resignation of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for “helping Communist China cover up” the coronavirus outbreak which has blanketed the world.