Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), the Republican gubernatorial candidate running for Wisconsin governor, declared he would remove the state from the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) if elected.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers pledged during his 2026 State of the State address that he would sign an executive order to join the network. Tiffany criticized the move, stating: “Wisconsin’s health data should never be shared with the CCP-corrupted World Health Organization. We don’t take orders from international bureaucrats.”
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network is a cooperative framework for states and local health departments to exchange public health information. Evers’ office described joining GOARN as providing Wisconsin “timely and direct access to global early-warning alerts, outbreak intelligence and data sharing.”
Tiffany sharply contrasted the governor’s position with his own stance on food safety oversight, writing: “So @GovEvers will share Wisconsin’s health data with the Communist China-corrupted World Health Organization. But he won’t allow the USDA to audit our food stamp rolls for fraud?”
The initiative follows recent news that the U.S. officially severed ties with the WHO in January 2026 after President Donald J. Trump withdrew the nation from the organization last year, ending nearly a century of collaboration on global health matters. Evers’ push aligns with similar moves by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Governor, and New York Governor to join GOARN.
Wisconsin will also join a coalition of 15 governors in the Governor’s Public Health Alliance to enhance national preparedness for public health emergencies.
