U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a formal statement of rejection to the International Health Regulations (IHR) Amendments proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the agencies, the regulations are to “become binding if not rejected by July 19, 2025, regardless of the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO.”
Rubio noted that the IHR Amendments focus on “political issues” rather than effective health decisions, explaining that U.S. agencies will continue to “put Americans first” and “will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy, or personal liberties.”
Kennedy said the proposed amendments “open the door to the kind of narrative management, propaganda, and censorship that we saw during the COVID pandemic,” emphasizing that the United States can “cooperate with other nations without jeopardizing our civil liberties, without undermining our Constitution, and without ceding away America’s treasured sovereignty.”
In a video statement on the matter, Kennedy explained that nations accepting the regulations “are signing over their power in health emergencies to an unelected international organization that could order lockdowns, travel restrictions, or any other measures that it sees fit.”
“In fact, it doesn’t even need to declare an emergency,” he added.
The announcement stands in support of President Donald Trump’s order withdrawing the United States from the WHO.
“While withdrawal is in progress, the Secretary of State will cease negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and actions taken to effectuate such agreement and amendments will have no binding force on the United States,” Trump’s order said.
