Advocacy Priorities for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27)
Prioritize Frontline Health Services
We urge inclusion of bill language requiring that the majority of Global Health Programs funding be directed toward frontline activities. These include direct patient care, essential medical commodities, and the training, protection, and supervision of frontline health workers, such as physicians, nurses, midwives, community health workers, and laboratory staff.
Restore Humanitarian Aid Funding
We are requesting $8.7 billion for the International Humanitarian Assistance account and the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund. This would restore U.S. humanitarian aid to its FY25 level, increasing it from the FY26 level of $5.5 billion. We also call for policy language ensuring these funds are used strictly for international humanitarian needs and not diverted to domestic purposes, such as involuntary deportation.
Sustain Global Health Funding Levels
We recommend maintaining FY26 funding levels for Global Health Programs in FY27. Additionally, we call for increased funding for the Global Fund from $1.25 billion to $1.533 billion to meet our pledge and ensure continued progress in combating major infectious diseases.
Ensure Funds Are Spent as Appropriated
We request clear legal language to guarantee that all appropriated funds are fully obligated and spent as intended, preventing delays or withholding that can disrupt critical global health and humanitarian programs.
Maintain Critical Reporting Requirements
We support continuing key report language provisions, including “Disadvantaged Geographies,” “Maternal and Child Health Reporting,” “HIV, TB and Malaria Report,” “Nutrition Report,” and “Health Workforce and Frontline Healthcare.” Following markups, we plan to work with congressional offices to ensure the Administration delivers these reports in full.
We sent the letter below, from 49 organizations of health professionals and faith-based and secular NGOs, to leaders of the Senate subcommittee that funds foreign assistance:
September 14, 2026
The Honorable Susan Collins, Interim Chair
State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Brian Schatz, Ranking Member
State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee
Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Interim Chair Collins and Ranking Member Schatz,
The undersigned organizations write to urge you to include key lifesaving items in your Fiscal Year 2027 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bill.
Frontline focus: We were encouraged to see the State Department’s emphasis on frontline healthcare in the America First Global Health Strategy, including establishing a principle to ensure funding prioritizes frontline healthcare workers and the purchase of commodities such as diagnostic supplies and drugs. Since releasing the strategy report last fall, the State Department has embedded this principle into new bilateral health cooperation agreements or Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with countries receiving assistance. Many of the publicly released MOUs identify specific investments in frontline health workers and commodities. This approach is similar to how the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) defines service delivery as services and commodities provided directly to beneficiaries. Unlike many other programs, PEPFAR has successfully tracked frontline spending and ensured that a majority of funds (58 percent) are invested in frontline services.
However, not all of the recent MOUs are available to the public and a very large amount of spending is unidentified. As such, and there is little assurance that investments in commodities and frontline healthcare workers will be prioritized. Without a Congressional requirement, there is a substantial danger that the principles expressed in the America First Global Health Strategy will not be applied. We recommend including bill language to ensure that the majority of investments provided through the MOUs will be allocated to frontline service delivery.
International Humanitarian Assistance: We request $8.7 billion for the International Humanitarian Assistance account. This funding supports relief for natural and man-made disasters, including funding for emergency resources including potable water, therapeutic nutrition, and medical supplies. Despite longstanding bipartisan support for humanitarian assistance, some have expressed concern about limited visibility into how aid dollars are ultimately spent. We believe the additional transparency provided by the spending report requirements in the FY 27 report language will provide Congress the oversight necessary to justify robust funding.
Global Health Programs: We request $1.533 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) and at least level FY26 funding for all other Global Health Programs. We strongly support ensuring that all Global Health Programs continue to provide the lifesaving care that has long been their hallmark. These programs fund highly effective child health interventions, including vaccinations and treatments for pneumonia, malaria and diarrheal dehydration, which are among the most cost-effective measures for reducing child mortality. We therefore urge you to include level funding for Maternal and Child Health and for Nutrition.
Maintain Congress’ power of the purse. We urge you to continue and strengthen your laudable efforts to have the Administration use the funds you appropriate in the amounts provided and for their intended purposes. Ensuring that these funds are allocated before their September 30, 2026 expiration is an urgent priority.
Thank you for your consideration.
American Academy of Family Physicians
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National League for Nursing
Society of General Internal Medicine
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Catholic Medical Mission Board
Christian Journal for Global Health
Christian Medical and Dental Associations
Global Health Institute, William Carey International University
Institute for International Medicine
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Project Hope
Association of Departments of Family Medicine
Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors
NAPCRG (a national primary care research organization)
Arizona Academy of Family Physicians
Arkansas Community Health Worker Association
Florida Academy of Family Physicians
Idaho Academy of Family Physicians
Illinois Public Health Association
Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians
Michigan Academy of Family Physicians
Minnesota Public Health Association
Montana Academy of Family Physicians
Nevada Primary Care Association
Nevada Public Health Association
New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians
New York State Academy of Family Physicians
North Carolina Community Health Worker Association
North Carolina Public Health Association
Pennsylvania Public Health Association
West Virginia Osteopathic Medical Association
Addis Clinic (Tennessee)
Board of Global Ministries of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church
Center for Global Health at Northwell Health (New York)
Child Family Health International (California)
Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative (California)
Fund for Global Health (Washington)
Global Care Force (Kansas)
Global Friends Coalition (North Dakota)
Healthy Climate New Mexico
Heart to Heart International (Kansas)
Impact Global Health Alliance (North Carolina)
Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health (Maryland)
ParticipAid (Oregon)
Partners for World Health (Maine)
Project Hope Worldwide (Oklahoma)
Rural Health Care Initiative (Minnesota)