Official Says U.S. Still Works With WHO a Month After Trump Terminates Relationship

America is still working with the World Health Organization (WHO) despite President Donald Trump's decision to terminate the relationship a month ago.

Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health, told a Senate committee on Tuesday that he participated with the WHO on a global sickle cell meeting two days ago. He added that he hadn't been recalled from his position on the WHO's executive board and wasn't asked to recall himself "in any way."

Announcing on May 29 that the U.S. was ending its relationship with the WHO, Trump criticized the organization for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. He said his decision to cut ties came after the WHO failed to make "requested and greatly needed reforms" put forth by the United States.

Trump's break with the WHO amid a global pandemic brought him criticism, including that from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. At the time, Murphy said it would go down as one of the "worst catastrophes" of the Trump administration. During Tuesday's hearing by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he said he thought it was "maybe one of the most dangerous" things the administration has done.

Giroir, who was confirmed to the WHO's executive board on May 7, told Murphy that he attended an executive board meeting on May 22, days before Trump's announcement. As of Tuesday, Giroir said, he planned on attending another meeting that was likely to occur in October, as he hadn't received any direction telling him otherwise.

"I believe all of us on our public health standard still work with the WHO as a WHO partner," Giroir said. "We certainly work [with them] from the public health aspects."

Murphy said some "additional clarification" would be good, since Trump had said he was terminating the relationship.

A senior administration official told Newsweek the United States has no plans to reconsider the decision to terminate its relationship with the WHO. The official added that the U.S. encouraged the WHO and its member states to work toward reforms.

Newsweek reached out to the WHO and Murphy for comment but did not hear back before publication.

Trump criticized the WHO for not vetting information coming out of China about the new coronavirus and told Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general, the "only way forward" for the WHO was to demonstrate "independence from China." In a May 18 letter, he informed Ghebreyesus the WHO had 30 days to commit to "major substantive improvements" or lose America's funding. Less than two weeks later, Trump said he was pulling America's $450 million funding.

Ghebreysus said that he learned about Trump's decision at the same time as everyone else and that the organization's wanted to continue collaborating with the U.S.