In his inaugural speech and throughout the following onslaught of executive orders on Monday, President Donald Trump began wading into issues of public health—including by starting the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization.
Leaving the U.N.’s special health agency, established in 1948, is a move that experts warn could weaken the world’s defenses in the face of pandemics because of the loss of American funding. It could also roll back gains made against AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases, and weaken U.S. agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would make the world far less healthy and safe,” Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law at Georgetown University, told the Associated Press. He added that losing American resources would devastate the agency’s global surveillance and epidemic response efforts. The action is not effective immediately, as it requires the approval of Congress and a one-year notice period.
Here’s what else Trump has done in the health arena so far this week:
Officially recognized only two sexes
“It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” noted an executive order, addressing what Trump has been promising will end what he calls the “transgender lunacy.”
“These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” the order continues. “Under my direction, the Executive Branch will enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality.” It specifies that “sex” shall refer to “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female,” and that it is “not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity.’”
The decree will bring a slew of changes for the more than 1.6 million transgender Americans, including around official documents, use of Title IX when it comes to student athletics, the ability for youth to find official support at public schools, permission to find safety at rape shelters, and medical care for federally incarcerated trans people. (In a separate order, Trump repealed a Biden-era order allowing transgender people to serve in the military, essentially clearing the way for a ban.)
“The Attorney General shall ensure that the Bureau of Prisons revises its policies concerning medical care to be consistent with this order, and shall ensure that no Federal funds are expended for any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex,” the order reads, harkening back to an issue from Trump’s debate with Kamala Harris.
Reinstated service members punished over COVID vaccine mandate
“This week, I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate with full back pay,” Trump said in his inauguration address.
The COVID-19 vaccine was mandated for all troops from August 2021 to January 2023, with limited exceptions, and about 8,000 troops—or less than half of 1% of total military strength—were forced out for refusing to comply, according to the Military Times.
Pentagon leaders did implement a way for affected service people to reapply once the vaccine mandate was lifted, but only 43 did so.
The executive order followed a statement by Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, made during his confirmation hearing. “Tens of thousands of service members were kicked out because of an experimental vaccine,” Hegseth said. “They will be apologized to. They will be reinstated, reinstituted with pay and rank.”
Made non-specific pledges around public health
During his inaugural address, Trump noted, without providing details, “Together, we will end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy, and disease-free.”
He also said he would improve, without providing details, how public health agencies respond to disasters, calling out responses to flooding in North Carolina and wildfires in California. “We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world,” he said.
Reversed Biden-era orders
In addition to issuing his proactive executive orders, Trump used his power to rescind 78 executive orders made by President Joe Biden, including those related to COVID-19 responses, prevention, and treatment; strengthening of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act; protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation; vaccination requirements for federal workers; and lowering of prescription drug costs for Americans.
That last Biden order, 2022’s Executive Order 14087, sought to cap certain generic drug prices at $2 for Medicare beneficiaries, improve access to high-cost therapies, and accelerate research processes for new drugs in order to expedite the availability of effective treatments.
More on politics and public health:
- Fleeing the country and rationing testosterone: Transgender Americans’ new reality under a Trump presidency
- How Trump’s Agenda 47, plus Project 2025, offer clues into possible health-care policy changes
- RFK Jr. has accused the FDA of suppressing hydroxychloroquine. Now, the study that suggested its use in COVID is retracted.
