President Trump's decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization is a sad effort to find a scapegoat for his own failings. He is now compounding the damage by impeding the global response to #COVID19, so that even more will die unnecessarily.
The World Health Organization has a budget smaller than that of some US hospitals, yet it is charged with keeping the world safe. Trump has shown zero global leadership against the virus, and now he is undermining one organization that has, imperfectly, tried show leadership.
For Americans, WHO may seem distant and not so relevant. But health is global. It was WHO's terrific work on Ebola in eastern Congo that has helped keep the rest of the world safe. It fights maternal mortality and obstetric fistula. And now of course, it is battling Covid.
I'm all for greater accountability for WHO, and for the Trump administration (and for news organizations). But our president's action in cutting off funds like this means fewer kids get dewormed, more get Ebola, and Covid-19 gets a new lease on life.
