WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act to nullify the Trump Administration’s sweeping expansion of the global gag rule, also known as the “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) Policy.” The global gag rule imposes ideological conditions on international partners and threatens to cut off funding for critical health, humanitarian, and development programs worldwide. The policy is expected to disrupt hundreds of programs globally, including those providing HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health care, maternal and child health care, gender-based violence services and humanitarian relief.
“Instead of making sure foreign aid is effective and in the best interest of the American taxpayer, the Trump Administration is weaponizing it to impose their extreme agenda around the world,” said Senator Rosen. “People will die because of Donald Trump’s ‘Human Flourishing Policy,’ which is why I’m joining Senator Shaheen in introducing a bill to block this cruel policy’s implementation.”
“The Trump Administration gag rules demand that our partners abandon their work and their beliefs even when they are using their own money to provide life-saving health and humanitarian services to populations in need.” said Senator Shaheen. “This sweeping expansion of the global gag rule imperils funding for life-saving programs, particularly for women and girls who are already at greater risk because of Trump’s budget cuts to health, food, shelter and gender-based violence programs. The United States should lead with our values, not impose extreme ideological litmus tests that jeopardize global health and humanitarian efforts. This legislation makes clear that Congress will not stand by while this Administration dismantles effective foreign assistance and damages our credibility around the world.”
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Rosen has worked hard to ensure that the US maintains robust support for defense, diplomacy, and development. She has led efforts to strengthen our international assistance efforts, including introducing legislation to improve access to HIV medications overseas and co-leading a resolution on support for women and girls in Haiti. Senator Rosen has also been a vocal supporter of USAID, criticizing the Trump Administration’s decision to dismantle the agency last February and leading the effort to protect funding for family planning during last year’s rescissions fight.
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