PAI Statement on the Passage of Fiscal Year 2026 National Security and State Department (NSRP) Appropriations Bill

Last week, President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill into law. Overall, this bill represents a 16% cut over FY 2025 enacted levels, including significant cuts to humanitarian assistance, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and other key areas. But, as it has for the past six decades, Congress maintained bipartisan support for U.S. foreign assistance for family planning, appropriating $607.5 million for international family planning and reproductive health, including $32.5 million for UNFPA. The bill includes language requiring the administration to demonstrate to Congress how they plan to spend the funding intended for UNFPA, if it is not directed to the UN agency, as well as other language to increase transparency and accountability.

For more than six decades, this funding has reflected a shared recognition that access to voluntary family planning is central to advancing health, gender equality, economic stability, and human rights worldwide. These investments empower women, girls, and couples to make informed decisions about whether and when to have children, improving health outcomes, strengthening communities, and fostering long-term development.

“This bill is a tremendous bipartisan commitment to U.S. leadership in global development and humanitarian aid,” PAI’s President and CEO, Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, said. “At a time when U.S. foreign assistance is facing unprecedented disruption, Congress has reaffirmed its constitutional role in directing how taxpayer dollars are spent and underscored the importance of sustained investment in international family planning and reproductive health. It is essential that the administration fully implement these funds as appropriated, so that critical services reach women and girls who depend on them.”

At a moment of profound global instability, humanitarian need, and growing inequity, Congress’ decision to maintain funding for international family planning and reproductive health sends a critical signal of continued U.S. commitment. PAI urges the administration to fully and faithfully implement these appropriations and to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches the communities who depend on it, and who Congress intended it to support. Sustained U.S. leadership is essential to protecting hard-won gains, preventing needless suffering, and supporting the health, autonomy, and dignity of women, girls and their communities worldwide.