Joint Statement on the Preeminence of the U.S. Government Regulating Health Risks for Americans

The text of the following statement was released by the Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services.

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The United States remains committed to protecting the public health of Americans through sound science, transparency, and rigorous independent review. International organizations can play a constructive role in advancing scientific discussion, but their conclusions should not automatically be treated as definitive or controlling in the United States.

In recent years, scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders have raised questions regarding the consistency, transparency, and real-world applicability of certain international cancer hazard assessments by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialized agency of the World Health Organization. The United States withdrew its WHO membership in January 2026. Too often, broad classifications based on limited or theoretical risks can create unnecessary public confusion, undermine confidence in everyday products and industries, and lead to policy outcomes that are disconnected from actual exposure and modern scientific standards. IARC's findings and monographs often blur the line between hazard and true risk, while diminishing independently verified findings of other research institutions. Furthermore, IARC's research provides diminishing returns on scientific enterprise, while advancing politicized narratives that are often cited for U.S. domestic legal contexts. For example, equating red meat to tobacco products does little to advance true scientific discourse that could be of benefit to the American people.

An America First approach to public health means ensuring that decisions affecting U.S. workers, families, farmers, and businesses are guided by transparent, evidence-based processes that reflect America's interests and scientific standards - not by European or outside organizations whose findings may not fully align with U.S. law, policy, or scientific review practices.

The United States will continue to support credible science while prioritizing policies that are practical, balanced, and rooted in accountability to the American people. The Trump Administration is committed to improving the health and safety of the American people, including rigorous, independent scientific expertise. American regulatory decisions should be made by American institutions accountable to the American people. U.S. agencies possess some of the world's strongest scientific expertise and are best positioned to evaluate health and safety risks using comprehensive evidence, practical exposure data, and balanced risk assessment methods.

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