Congress was notified Tuesday that the Trump administration has submitted a notice of withdrawal from the World Health Organization, CNN reported Tuesday afternoon.

Back in April, the Trump administration said it would no longer contribute funds to the World Health Organization pending an investigation of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and accused the organization of having a pro-China bias despite the US contributing more money to the United Nations health agency.

The administration called for more transparency from WHO, as well as other reforms. At the time, the WHO faced scrutiny from people on both sides of the political divide.

In an article published in early April, Kathy Gilsinan with The Atlantic wrote about the WHO's vulnerability to misinformation and influence from Chinese authorities, particularly in the early days of the pandemic.

CBS News reports that Tuesday's notice was delivered to the United Nations secretary-general, and sets a withdrawal date of July 6, 2021.

Obviously, not everyone is happy with the decision. In a tweet, California Senator Kamala Harris called the move reckless and short-sighted, and said it "surrenders what was left of America's leadership on the world stage." New York Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted that the move will not protect American lives or interests, but leaves us "sick and alone".

United Nations Foundation President and CEO Elizabeth Cousens issued a statement in response to the notice, calling the decision "short-sighted, unnecessary, and unequivocally dangerous."

What do you think? Is withdrawing from the World Health Organization a wise move, or should the US remain a part of it and continue to demand reform and transparency? What should the US do if we actually withdraw by next summer?

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