The departments of State and Health and Human Services confirmed [on July 29, 2026] they are releasing $600 million Congress appropriated to an international partnership that helps developing countries buy and distribute vaccines.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has held up the funding for the group, Gavi, for months.
Kennedy said Gavi, which the U.S. co-founded a quarter century ago and has long backed, was using dangerous and outdated shots. …
The United States has mostly phased out shots containing the mercury preservative thimerosal, but it’s harder to replace in parts of the world without ready access to refrigeration. Mainstream vaccine safety experts have said the shots Gavi is using are safe.
The Trump administration’s announcement resolves a stalemate over the funding Congress appropriated for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years for Gavi.
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Gavi provides vaccines for 20 diseases, including measles, malaria and polio, to more than 50 low-income countries globally. It estimates that it’s vaccinated over 1.2 billion children in the world’s poorest countries, preventing more than 20.6 million potential deaths.
