Shaheen Meets With Gavi and CEPI CEOs, Reiterates Importance of Releasing Global Vaccine Funding Amid HHS Holdup

**Shaheen has facilitated productive conversations between Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and HHS in an effort to release Congressionally-appropriated funds** (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee , today met with Gavi CEO Dr. Sania Nishtar and CEPI CEO Dr. Richard Hatchett to discuss global health security priorities, Gavi’s response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and Shaheen’s efforts to release $600 million in Congressionally-appropriated funds unlawfully blocked by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “I was glad to meet with Dr. Sania Nishtar and discuss our continued work to release the funding that Congress appropriated for Gavi so they can continue their critical mission of keeping children safe and preventing global outbreaks,” said Senator Shaheen. “Enough is enough. This issue is literally a matter of life and death for countless people – including children – around the world. Gavi has been working in good faith to resolve the stalemate, but time is of the essence and Secretary Kennedy is letting quack medicine and conspiracy theories get in the way of public health. This delay is egregious on its own, but particularly now as the world grapples with an ongoing Ebola outbreak that Gavi is uniquely positioned to help address.” Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public-private health partnership that has helped vaccinate more than one billion children in the world’s poorest countries. However, the U.S. State Department has not yet delivered the $600 million appropriated in Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026. In April, Shaheen demanded answers from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as to why crucial global health vaccine funding has not been delivered despite being appropriated by Congress. Specifically, highlighting that millions of children could die if the funding isn’t fulfilled , Shaheen pressed Secretary Kennedy about whether he was knowingly blocking funding that helps vaccinate millions of children and prevents global health outbreaks. Secretary Kennedy agreed to appoint someone to work with Gavi and Shaheen’s office to reach a solution. In May, Shaheen led a group of bipartisan lawmakers in urging the State Department to restore U.S. contributions to Gavi . Earlier this month, Shaheen again raised the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the context of the current Ebola outbreak, which Gavi has committed up to $40 million for promising vaccine candidates. Secretary Rubio expressed that he would like to re-engage in resolving the funding impasse. ###