US to Reengage with Gavi, Release $600M in Ebola Outbreak

The United States will reengage with the global vaccine alliance Gavi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate committee this week, signaling a potential shift in policy after a year of withheld funding and internal debate. The announcement comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa and follows public pressure from lawmakers to release congressionally approved money for the organization.

Rubio informed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that the State Department made the decision to reengage several weeks ago. He stated the goal is to resolve the issue in a way acceptable to both Congress and U.S. global health objectives. The move represents a recalibration of administrative roles, as Rubio noted President Donald Trump had asked the State Department to allow Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, to play a leading role in the Gavi decision due to his views on vaccine safety.

Kennedy had previously halted U.S. funding for Gavi last June, claiming without evidence that the alliance neglected vaccine safety, specifically citing concerns over the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. The U.S. subsequently...