Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01), Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) led 134 of their colleagues in calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to immediately release $7.5 billion in international affairs funding, to include more than $3 billion in congressionally appropriated global health funding before it expires on September 30, 2026.

In a bicameral letter to Rubio and Vought, the lawmakers warned that approximately $7.5 billion in international affairs funding remains unobligated and at risk of expiring, including more than $3 billion intended for lifesaving global health programs.

The Global Health Programs account supports efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, malnutrition, and emerging health threats. According to the letter, OMB has notified Congress that approximately $1.35 billion is being withheld for costs associated with closing the U.S. Agency for International Development instead of being used for the critical global health programs Congress funded.

The lawmakers warned that allowing the funding to expire could contribute to an estimated 121,000 deaths from tuberculosis, 47,600 deaths from malaria, and the loss of lifesaving nutrition products for 22.9 million children.

“This hardship can be prevented if the Administration spends these funds as Congress directed,” the lawmakers wrote. “We call on you to immediately release the remaining lifesaving, bipartisan GHP funding before it expires on September 30, 2026.”

The letter also raises concerns about proposed changes to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which has saved more than 26 million lives. The lawmakers warned that reducing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s role in the program could disrupt HIV treatment, weaken global disease surveillance, and limit America’s ability to stop outbreaks abroad before they threaten communities at home.

“The Department and OMB’s refusal to spend GHP funding as directed by Congress and the concerning PEPFAR implementation changes defy the law and threaten lives, internationally and in the U.S.,” the lawmakers wrote.

Walkinshaw, Amo, Kelly, Markey, and their colleagues demanded answers by September 9 regarding the Administration’s plans to release the funding, the costs of terminating USAID programs, and the public-health consequences of reducing the CDC’s role in PEPFAR.

The full text of the letter, including the complete list of 138 signers, is available here.

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