The United States on 18 July formally rejected the 2024 amendments to the World Health Organization’s legally binding International Health Regulations, according to a joint statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The State Department said it had transmitted the notice of rejection to the WHO, a step permitted under the regulations before they enter into force on 19 July. Rubio and Kennedy argued that the revisions were developed "without adequate public input," used "vague and broad" terminology, and would expand the WHO’s authority over national responses, risking measures that "focus on political issues like solidarity rather than rapid and effective actions." They added that the decision was necessary to protect U.S. sovereignty. Adopted by consensus at the World Health Assembly last year, the amendments create a new category of “pandemic emergency” and urge manufacturers to allocate 20 percent of pandemic-related vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO to ensure access for lower-income countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he regretted Washington’s move, noting that member states remain free to accept or reject the changes, which do not override national sovereignty. The rejection deepens the Trump administration’s break with the UN health agency; in January the president resumed a 12-month process to withdraw the United States, previously the WHO’s largest financial contributor. Health experts warn the U.S. decision could complicate global data sharing and coordination ahead of future outbreaks.