The break is official. The United States has formally exited the World Health Organization, one year after President Donald Trump signed the executive order pulling America out on his first day back in office.

And no, Washington did not write a $260 million goodbye check on the way out.

Under U.S. law, the federal government is typically required to settle outstanding dues before withdrawing from international organizations. In this case, that figure totaled roughly $260 million owed to the WHO. The Trump administration made clear it had no intention of rewarding an organization it believes repeatedly failed the American people.

The financial impact on the WHO is immediate and severe. The agency is now losing approximately 18 percent of its total funding and plans to cut about one quarter of its staff by mid year. That is not symbolic. That is structural damage.

This was a long time coming. The World Health Organization shattered its credibility during the COVID pandemic, downplaying early warnings, parroting Chinese Communist Party talking points, and offering guidance that proved disastrously wrong. Americans were locked down, kids were pulled from schools, businesses were destroyed, and the WHO never accepted responsibility.

President Donald Trump argued long before his return to office that the United States should not bankroll global bureaucracies that do not serve American interests. This exit puts real teeth behind that argument.

The World Health Organization now faces a future with fewer resources, fewer staff, and far less influence. Whether it reforms or fades is no longer America’s problem.

This is what America First looks like in action. No blank checks. No global guilt trips. Just accountability.