Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States has an “obligation” to evaluate whether the World Health Organization (WHO) is the right “vehicle” to handle global pandemics.
“When you see the influence that the Chinese Communist Party had as they were debating how to handle this virus in January of this year,” Pompeo said during a press conference on Wednesday.
He continued, “And when you think about those things and the risks that those posed to the world, it is an obligation to reconsider whether that vehicle is the right one to deliver pandemic response systems for the world.”
Pompeo slammed the agency and said it “failed in its mission” and that the U.S. was “conducting a review to figure out how best to use American taxpayer money to deliver real outcomes.”
He added, “We shouldn’t pretend that because some organization has ‘health’ in its title that it’s actually capable of delivering the outcomes that we need.”
Additionally, Pompeo said, “If there is a function that only the WHO can do, and we think it is important for American national security or because we are good humanitarian partners around the world, I’m confident we’ll find a way to deliver that outcome.”
Watch the video below:
Pompeo’s comments come amid sustained criticism of President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would seek to halt funding to the agency.
Earlier this week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Pompeo criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to halt funding to the agency.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the committee, called the WHO an “imperfect agency” but suggested that instead of halting funding to the agency, the Trump administration should seek to give it more power.
Additionally, Engel sought information regarding the administration’s authority to halt funding to the WHO.
The WHO has been criticized by Republican lawmakers who have accused the agency of spreading propaganda from the Chinese government about the coronavirus. Additionally, some lawmakers have called for an investigation of the agency and its leadership.
However, officials at the WHO have defended the agency’s response and argued it has limited authority to investigate beyond the information it receives.
