Exclusive: Senate Democrats introduce bill to protect UN Population Fund
A group of U.S. Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to protect the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA — an agency that’s been devastated by the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign assistance this year.
“This bill restores a common-sense, bipartisan approach: supporting voluntary, rights-based family planning and maternal health while ensuring full compliance with U.S. law,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement to Devex.
The Support UNFPA Funding Act would allocate $74 million annually for the United Nations agency, which is focused on sexual and reproductive health across the world. It would do so for both the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years, the first of which began on Oct. 1, 2025, and open the door to additional funding for UNFPA in the years after.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene covers U.S. foreign assistance from Washington, D.C. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and other news outlets across the world. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for aid agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
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