PAI Statement on the Rescissions Act of 2025

On July 18, Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which cuts funding for U.S. foreign assistance, specifically targeting support for family planning and reproductive health and rights. This decision by U.S. lawmakers will have enormous and devastating consequences for women, girls, and families around the world.

For six decades, Congress has maintained bipartisan support for U.S. foreign assistance for family planning. This investment has been vital to enabling women, girls, and couples to choose whether, how, and when to have children. U.S. funding has led to demonstrable improvements in the quality of contraceptive options available and lowered costs. The decision to claw back already appropriated funds is particularly damaging, considering the proposed cuts to future funding, the decimation of U.S. foreign aid infrastructure provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the firing of thousands of qualified development, diplomatic, and humanitarian experts in Washington, D.C., and around the world.

U.S. international family planning and reproductive health assistance was implemented in a variety of ways: providing birth control pills in active war zones, where pregnancy and childbirth pose significant risks; ensuring access to long-acting contraceptives for survivors of gender-based violence who cannot safely negotiate daily contraceptive use; and other programming to support a couple’s conscious decision to time the births of their children in a way that aligns with their social and economic realities. Each decision is as unique as the individual, underscoring that voluntary family planning provides not just health benefits, but also dignity, autonomy, and hope.

It is with deep disappointment and profound fear for the future of global reproductive health and rights that we watched this rescission package pass—even after members of Congress were warned by the Office of Management and Budget Director, Russell Vought, that it would eliminate $500 million in funding for international family planning assistance.

“This rescission is not just a budget decision—it is a Congressional decision that will directly lead to innumerable deaths globally,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO of PAI. “By changing course on decades of bipartisan U.S. leadership, Congress is abandoning women, girls, and families who rely on these services to survive and thrive. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over spending the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill. Here at PAI, we will continue to fight for the restoration of these critical funds and stand with our global partners, who are now left to face impossible choices.”

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About PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners, and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional, and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. 

To learn more, visit www.pai.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.