AP: Lawmakers: Trump’s funding freeze for WHO hits Venezuela
“As much as $110 million in U.S. funding for disease prevention in Latin America as well as U.S. support for Venezuelan migrants has been thrown into doubt as part of President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to the World Health Organization over its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Rep. Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo complaining that freezing funds for the Pan American Health Organization threatened to worsen the plight of Venezuelans suffering at the hands of Nicolás Maduro…” (Goodman, 4/30).

New Humanitarian: WHO’s members owe it more than $470 million
“Two countries account for over half the unpaid membership dues at the World Health Organization: on 31 March, the United States owed $196 million, while China’s outstanding bill stood at $57 million. They’re not alone: 151 members collectively owed $473 million in unpaid dues — about 20 percent of the WHO’s annual budget — and a quarter of it was more than a year late. But the size of the U.S. and Chinese debts highlight the WHO’s reliance on its largest members. The United States has announced a suspension of its funding for the WHO in reaction to what it alleges as weaknesses in the U.N. agency’s COVID-19 response…” (Parker, 4/30).

PBS NewsHour: 2 perspectives on the Trump administration’s clash with WHO
“The World Health Organization held a rare emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the ongoing global health crisis — and an escalating diplomatic battle with the U.S., its largest funder. President Trump has frozen contributions to WHO, blaming it for echoing China in its early response to COVID-19. Nick Schifrin talks to Duke University’s Dr. Michael Merson and Stanford University’s Lanhee Chen…” (Schifrin, 4/30).