Kennedy froze U.S. contributions to Gavi vaccine alliance, withholding $600 million in appropriated funds
On June 25, 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the United States would halt financial support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, until the organization "re-earned the public trust" over its vaccine-safety practices, and the State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, deferred to his objections and did not disburse funding. By April 2026 the freeze had blocked $600 million Congress had specifically appropriated for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, prompting bipartisan Senate pressure before the administration announced on July 29, 2026 that it would release the full amount.