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US Releases $600M to Gavi While Blocking WHO Funding

US allocates $600 million to Gavi vaccine alliance
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The United States government has allocated $600 million to the global vaccine alliance Gavi while formally barring any federal funds from reaching the World Health Organization through the initiative, federal agencies announced.

A joint declaration by the US Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services detailed the restriction on financial support for the UN public health body.

"The United States also reaffirms that it will not provide US Government funding to the World Health Organization through Gavi," the statement said.

The policy aligns with directives from President Donald Trump instructing key cabinet members to condition future aid on structural adjustments within the vaccine coalition.

"Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to negotiate reforms with Gavi as a condition for renewed US support," the joint agency statement noted.

US Republican Senator Susan Collins endorsed the decision after advocating for renewed funding toward international immunization programs.

Under the new arrangement, Gavi agreed to partner with its board and member nations to replace vaccines containing mercury with mercury-free options, according to the State Department.

The funding restriction continues a pattern of policy actions against the WHO.

In 2020, President Trump temporarily halted US contributions, alleging the organization mishandled the early coronavirus outbreak and spread false disclosures from China.

The US was previously the agency's largest donor, providing over $400 million in 2019, which accounted for nearly 15 percent of its total budget.

Former President Joe Biden reversed those funding freezes in January 2021, halting the withdrawal process.

However, upon taking office for his second term on January 20, 2025, President Trump announced the US would officially withdraw from the agency and suspend all financial contributions.

The WHO relies on mandatory member state assessments alongside voluntary partner donations to maintain its $3.4 billion budget, roughly a third of the $9.3 billion core funding received by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2023.

These funds support international initiatives against polio, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and measles, as well as health emergency responses in conflict zones like Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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