Tempered Great Expectations—President Requests Modest Increase in International Family Planning Budget
Cosponsor the Support UNFPA Funding Act
The United Nations Population Fund, also known as UNFPA, is the U.N. agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health and rights. For decades, anti-choice politicians in the U.S. Congress and White House have attempted to restrict or eliminate the agency’s funding. From 2017 to 2021, the Trump administration withheld all funding to UNFPA, a decision that was reversed by President Biden in a January 2021 presidential memorandum.
UNFPA works to advance sexual and reproductive health care in more than 150 countries around the world. This is approximately three times the number of nations that the U.S. government supports through its bilateral family planning and reproductive health programs, including many contexts where the United States does not or cannot directly engage. Therefore, investing in UNFPA extends the reach of U.S. funds, complements U.S. family planning and reproductive health programs and bolsters U.S. global health and gender equality goals, such as decreasing maternal mortality and morbidity and preventing child marriage.
Congress must reaffirm the U.S. partnership with UNFPA by passing the Support UNFPA Funding Act.
We urge you to prioritize the health and rights of women, girls and their communities by cosponsoring the Support UNFPA Funding Act.
This bill:
- Authorizes funds to be made available for the core work of UNFPA, including ending maternal deaths, gender-based violence and harmful practices; addressing unmet need for family planning; and supporting U.S. national security and humanitarian efforts;
- Makes it the policy of the United States that everyone has a basic human right to “… determine freely whether, when and with whom to have children,” and to attain high-quality sexual and reproductive health care;
- Recognizes access to contraception and reproductive health care as necessary for advancing the status of women; and
- States that financial support for UNFPA’s core and humanitarian work is a vital part of the U.S. commitment to global health, development and human rights.
To be added as a cosponsor of the Support UNFPA Funding Act, please reach out to staff in the office of Representative Chrissy Houlahan.
