Don’t Divert Global Health Funding

Scroll down to send a message to Secretary of State Rubio and your Member of Congress.

Approximately $2 billion in unspent U.S. global health funding is set to expire on September 30.

The Trump administration is planning to redirect these Congressionally appropriated funds, instead of using them as intended: to save lives and prevent future pandemics. The proposed diversion is part of a broader plan to use $3.2 billion in FY2025 foreign assistance funding, including approximately $2 billion designated for global health, to pay close-out costs for canceled USAID awards. If carried out, this decision would significantly weaken programs that prevent the spread of infectious diseases, reduce child and maternal mortality, and strengthen health systems in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Global health is a matter of human dignity and the common good. Diseases do not respect national borders. Investments in HIV/AIDS treatment, malaria prevention, tuberculosis control, vaccination campaigns, and pandemic preparedness save millions of lives while making every nation, including the United States, safer and more secure.

Diverting these funds would have devastating consequences, including:

• A 92% reduction in global health security funding: Leaving countries less prepared to respond to emerging disease outbreaks such as the current Ebola emergency.
• Millions of preventable deaths: Reductions in tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS programs will lead to millions avoidable infections and deaths. 
• Undermining U.S. leadership: A retreat from longstanding bipartisan commitments that have strengthened global stability, protected vulnerable communities, and advanced U.S. leadership in global health.

Take Action

Ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and your members of Congress to ensure that congressionally appropriated global health funding is used for its intended purpose: saving lives and preventing disease.

1. Contact the U.S. Department of State 

Use the script below to call or submit a message for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand that the Administration obligate the full $3.2 billion in expiring FY25 assistance to its intended health and development programs. :

• Phone (Main State Department Switchboard): (202) 647-4000 
• Online Comment Form: Contact the Department of State 

Sample Script / Message : 

Dear Secretary Rubio, I am contacting you to urge the Administration to reverse its decision to divert $3.2 billion in expiring FY25 foreign assistance, including $2 billion in global health funding, to cover USAID close-out costs. Raiding these critical health investments will devastate global health security, decimate tuberculosis and malaria programs, and put millions of lives at risk during ongoing disease threats. I ask that you uphold bipartisan congressional intent and immediately obligate these funds to the lifesaving programs they were appropriated for.

2. Contact Your Congressional Representatives 

Photo: Courtesy of the CDC, available on public domain via Unsplash.