Senate Appropriations Committee Releases State Department/Foreign Operations Bill

The State Department/Foreign Operations Appropriations bill released by Subcommittee Chairman Chris Coons today is a welcome step forward to promoting health, empowerment, and rights for people everywhere. By including Global HER Act language to prevent a future president from unilaterally imposing the disgraceful Global Gag Rule, just as the House-passed bill does, this legislation can provide needed stability to health providers around the world.

We are also pleased with the increased investment in family planning and reproductive health programs the bill makes. This investment is crucial to meeting the needs of the 218 million women around the world who want to prevent pregnancy but have an unmet need for contraceptives. Eliminating this global unmet need is crucial to reducing poverty, promoting public health, expanding educational and economic opportunity (especially for girls and women), and helping to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

We look forward to working with Chairman Coons, Chairwoman Barbara Lee, and other champions of reproductive health and rights in Congress to end the Global Gag Rule forever and to make needed investments in family planning programs around the world.

Contact: bdixon@popconnect.org