Collins says State Department will reinstate funding for global humanitarian vaccine alliance

Healthcare Collins says State Department will reinstate funding for global humanitarian vaccine alliance Comments: by Tara Suter - 07/28/26 10:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Tara Suter - 07/28/26 10:43 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday that the State Department is set to reinstate funding for a global humanitarian vaccine program after the Trump administration previously paused the program.

“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 Tuesday press release.

“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,” she added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last month that the United States might restart funding for GAVI, a global humanitarian vaccine alliance, going back on a decision from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to halt the money due to vaccine concerns.

The State Department head told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that his department had been taking back control of American relations with GAVI, an organization that provides developing countries with vaccines.

According to Rubio, President Trump asked Kennedy to “play a leading role” when it came to the GAVI funding decision “because of the strongly held views with regards to vaccine safety, and he wanted them to conduct some reforms.”

A significant part of Gavi’s budget has historically come from Congress, with the State Department traditionally overseeing funding for the organization. However, Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services held up $600 million in funding that had previously been appropriated due to vaccines he thought were not safe.