The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have included funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in their foreign assistance appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026.
This is a welcome development for the global health community, given that about six months ago, the Trump administration said it would cut all funding for the organization. While appropriators from both bodies of Congress have agreed to this bill, it still needs a vote in both chambers, and then it will be presented for U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval, before it can be signed into law.
The U.S. fiscal year started last October. But the government couldn’t get the budget passed by then, which led to the federal shutdown. Congress then passed a temporary spending bill that provides funding to keep the government open through Jan. 30 — meaning a new spending bill would need to be passed by then.