The United States has rejected amendments adopted in 2024 by members of the World Health Organization to its legally binding health rules aimed at improving preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19.

Trump administration officials rejected a series of rules Friday to help the international community prevent and respond to public health risks. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The WHO changes came under fire from US conservatives last year, leading House Republicans to pass legislation rejecting the measures. The global health body’s first ever pandemic agreement agreed this year, however, explicitly reaffirms country sovereignty and gives the WHO no powers to restrict travel, mandate vaccines or impose lockdowns.