The United States government has agreed to unfreeze $600 million allocated for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.

“Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance welcomes the announcement today by the United States Government that it intends to release US$ 600 million in funding appropriated by Congress for Gavi for fiscal years 2025 and 2026,” Gavi stated.

“This vital funding will help fill critical gaps in vaccine access for countries and continues a long history of partnership between Gavi and the United States – reflecting our shared commitment to saving lives, strengthening defenses against infectious disease outbreaks, and accelerating the rollout of powerful new vaccines,” it continued.

The State Department had been withholding the funds appropriated by Congress due to objections by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized Gavi over its use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal.

“The United States has secured meaningful reforms with @Gavi that strengthen vaccine safety, improve public health, and advance Gold Standard Science and transparency. Under President Trump’s leadership, HHS is ensuring American taxpayer dollars support accountable, evidence-based global health programs,” HHS stated.

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“While Europe and the U.S. have eliminated mercury-laced vaccines, GAVI continues to inject more than 72 million African and Asian children with cheap jabs containing bolus doses of the world’s most potent neurotoxin,” RFK Jr. commented.

“The billions spent on DEI at HHS during the Biden administration did not prevent glaringly racist policies that protected white populations from mercury-containing vaccines while exposing Black and Brown children to them. Under President Trump’s leadership, GAVI has agreed to eliminate mercury from the vaccines it provides to children. This is an enormous victory for global health,” he added.

CIDRAP shared further:

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican and committee chair, credited the decision to pressure from committee members, including a letter sent in May to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“It is welcome news that following our recent outreach, the State Department has committed to contributing the full $600 million for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance,” Collins said in a statement. “I have worked to ensure that the Department uses this funding Congress appropriated to replenish U.S. funding to GAVI, an organization that plays a critical role in averting the spread of preventable diseases globally and stopping outbreaks before they reach U.S. borders.”

Launched by the WHO, World Bank, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation in 2000, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 low- and middle-income countries since its inception. According to a recent KFF analysis, the US government has been Gavi’s third-largest financial contributor in recent years and has provided 13% of its funding since inception.

The $600 million approved by Congress for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 was set to expire on September 30.

“We are grateful to the United States for its intention to obligate funding to Gavi,” a Gavi spokesperson said in an email to CIDRAP News.

“This investment will help us to strengthen global defences against outbreaks and pandemics and protect more children from preventable diseases. The United States’ partnership has been a key contributor to Gavi’s success in immunizing over 1.2 billion children since 2000 and we look forward to renewing this partnership and achieving even greater impact in the years ahead,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi.

“I appreciated the opportunity today to meet with Gavi CEO Dr. Sania Nishtar to discuss Gavi’s important role, particularly as the world is responding to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC,” Collins said in June.

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“Last month, I led a bipartisan letter urging the State Department to release the $600 million appropriated in the past two years for Gavi, and, at a Senate Appropriations hearing, I urged Sec. Marco Rubio to move quickly to resume U.S. contributions to Gavi,” she added.

Reuters noted:

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said in June that it was time to re-engage with the Geneva-based global ​alliance Gavi, which helps the world’s poorest countries buy vaccines to protect ​children from diseases such as measles and diphtheria, citing both congressional ⁠concerns and “our goals on global health.”

The previous month, Gavi’s chief executive Sania ​Nishtar had said Gavi was moving away from vaccines that included a mercury-based preservative ​about which Kennedy had raised concerns.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Wednesday the decision to release funds was taken after Gavi committed “to work towards transitioning mercury-containing vaccines and ​expanding access to newer, mercury-free alternatives.”

 

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