The World Health Organization chief said Wednesday he hopes the United States will reconsider its freeze in funding for his agency and vowed to keep working on �saving lives� despite calls from some U.S. lawmakers for his resignation.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he hopes the U.S. believes the agency is �an important investment, not just to help others, but for the U.S. to stay safe� amid the pandemic.

President Donald Trump last week announced a temporary halt to U.S. funding for the U.N. agency, alleging a WHO cover-up and missteps handling the outbreak. The U.S. is the Geneva-based agency�s biggest donor, providing hundreds of millions of dollars� worth of support each year.

In Washington, officials said Wednesday the halt involved new funding for the WHO, and was expected to continue for 60 to 90 days.

A group of Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives last week suggested that Trump should condition any voluntary U.S. contributions to the WHO this year on Tedros� resignation.

Asked about whether he was considering that, Tedros said: �I will continue to work day and night because this is a blessed work, actually, and responsibility saving lives, and I will focus on that.�

Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO�s emergencies chief, said the U.S. pause would impact core agency activities like child immunizations, efforts to eradicate polio, and �essential health services and trauma management in some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.�

�I very much hope that … this is a 60-day stay on funding,� and no more, he said. �That�s why you don�t see me complaining, because we just need to get on with it.�

At a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new tranche of U.S. assistance to specific countries, bringing the total of virus aid this year to more than $700 million.

Other U.S. officials said the suspended money for the WHO would be used for the same purpose, just distributed to individual groups � eliminating the agency as a conduit.

(AP)