Congress Must Act to Protect Health & Humanitarian Aid

Posted: June 22, 2023

Washington, DC (22 June 2023) – Project HOPE is dedicated to addressing the greatest global health challenges, but we cannot do this alone. Funding from the U.S. government is vital to fully respond to emergencies and health crises impacting health workers, health systems, and communities around the world. While a bipartisan debt agreement in Congress avoided an unnecessary default, if passed, the proposed funding levels for Fiscal Year 2024 will set back global health and humanitarian aid for years to come. Project HOPE calls for Congressional action to ensure continued U.S. leadership and adequate support for global health and humanitarian assistance.  

“Helping those in need has long been a part of the American character. As we witness record-setting levels of human displacement, emerging crises, and infectious diseases, it is critical that the United States follow through now on that longstanding global commitment,” said Jed Meline, Project HOPE’s Director of Policy & Advocacy. “There is flexibility in the debt deal for Congress to continue to do the right thing so that we do not leave millions of families and children around the world without critical heath and humanitarian assistance.”  

Congress should:   

  • Maintain the current FY2023 funding levels for global health and humanitarian assistance to continue to act as a global leader    
  • Provide a clean reauthorization of the highly impactful 20-year bipartisan President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program to maintain progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS  
  • Pass the bipartisan House Resolution 389 (HS 389) to acknowledge the contributions of frontline health workers who have been experiencing record levels of stress and burnout since the COVID-19 pandemic  
  • Pass the bipartisan End Tuberculosis Now Act of 2023 (HR1776 and S288) to reinvigorate global efforts to fight the greatest infectious disease killer, tuberculosis, which is both preventable and treatable   
  • Pass the bipartisan Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings (MINDS) Act (HR1570) and reshape global efforts on mental health, which is critical to overall health and well-being  

Whether it is those affected by the war in Ukraine, earthquake in Haiti, HIV/AIDS in Africa, or natural disasters here in the U.S; we have a global responsibility to seek to improve the health and well-being of those most in need.  

###  

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact media@ProjectHOPE.org.  

About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE is a leading global health and humanitarian organization operating in more than 25 countries around the world. We work side-by-side with local health systems to save lives and improve health. Our mission is at the epicenter of today’s greatest health challenges, including infectious and chronic diseases, disasters and health crises, maternal, neonatal and child health and the policies that impact how health care is delivered. For more information on Project HOPE and its work around the world, visit www.ProjectHOPE.org and follow us on Twitter @ProjectHOPEorg.