WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that the US is rejecting last year’s WHO pandemic response amendments, citing threats to national sovereignty.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes, part of updates to the International Health Regulations, risked “unwarranted interference” in US health policy and personal freedoms.

The amendments, adopted at the 2024 World Health Assembly, aimed to improve equity and solidarity during global health emergencies. WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed regret at the US withdrawal, insisting the measures respect national sovereignty and do not impose mandates like lockdowns.

The US withdrawal is part of Trump’s wider move to exit the WHO, which began when he returned to office in January. Rubio and Kennedy also criticized WHO for being vulnerable to “political influence and censorship, especially from China.”

While most nations supported the amendments, conservative activists in countries like Britain and Australia also campaigned against them. The US previously blocked a broader pandemic treaty over concerns about intellectual property protections.

Tedros defended the WHO as impartial, saying it works with all countries to improve global health.