Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act

OVERVIEW

Champions in Congress are introducing the Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act to block the expanded Global Gag Rules and stop the Trump administration’s harmful efforts to control what organizations, multilateral institutions, and countries that partner with the United States can do with their own funds and impose an ideological checklist across foreign assistance. The bill is co-led by Sens. Shaheen and Rosen in the Senate and Reps. Meng, Frankel, DeGette, Jayapal, Jacobs, and Meeks in the House. 

The Expanded Global Gag Rule

The Expanded Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy (the formal name is the Protecting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance Policy [PHFFA], but we will be referring to it as Expanded Global Gag Rule), has historically prohibited foreign NGOs receiving U.S. family planning funds from providing, referring, counseling, or advocating for abortion, even using their own non-U.S. resources. Since its first introduction in 1984, research has repeatedly shown that the policy leads to higher rates of abortion, more unintended pregnancies, and disruptions in contraceptive access and broader health services, including for those in the LGBTQI+ community.  In 2017, the Trump administration dramatically expanded the policy to apply to all global health assistance, affecting billions of dollars in HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, malaria, and other global health assistance. As one of the first actions of his second term, the Global Gag Rule was reimposed in 2025. In January 2026, the administration further expanded the Global Gag Rule to include new issues, new entities, and new funding–harming countless more people and communities around the world. This unprecedented expansion weaponizes foreign aid to threaten people’s lives, health, and freedoms, deepen inequities, and undermine global progress and partnership. Use this social media toolkit to thank congressional champions for working to block the expanded Global Gag Rules, highlight why this dangerous policy must be stopped, and to urge other Congressional offices to support this new and important bill.

Key Messages

The Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act and Expanded Global Gag Rules

• The Expansions Are Unprecedented & Extreme: The Expanded Global Gag Rules apply to new issues, new funding, and new recipients - including UN entities and other governments. The policy exports the extremist agenda of the Administration to ban abortion; erase trans, nonbinary, and intersex people; and restrict work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including gender equality and the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. For the first time ever, all non-military foreign assistance funds will be gagged, including humanitarian assistance and democracy and human rights programming, restricting the speech and actions of U.S.-based organizations, UN partners, and other governments. This means that countless more people and communities around the world could be cut off from lifesaving and sustaining services and efforts to protect the human rights of marginalized populations could be stymied.

• The Harm Is Widespread and Deadly: This policy restricts what U.S. government partners can do, even with their own non-U.S. funds. The Trump administration is weaponizing foreign aid to force its harmful agenda on people around the world and bully countries to fall in line or risk losing critical support. This expansion will exacerbate the crisis created when President Trump unilaterally slashed foreign aid programs and dismantled USAID.

• This is a Political Attack, Not an Evidence-Based Policy: The Global Gag Rules play politics with people’s lives, health, rights, and freedoms. It is grounded in radical and unpopular ideology and follows the Project 2025 playbook. Foreign aid should be about saving lives, uplifting all people, and creating a safer and stronger world for all of us, but this policy weaponizes it to exert an agenda of total control, cause harm, and distort important work. 

Social Media Posts

Timing: post any time after our House and Senate champions announce their introduction of the Protecting Human Rights & Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act on Wednesday, April 29th.

Tags

@SenatorShaheen, @senjackyrosen, @repgracemeng, @reploisfrankel, @RepDianaDeGette, @repJayapal, @repsaraJacobs, @repgregorymeeks

Hashtags

#GlobalGagRule #EndTheGags #GlobalGagRules #EndtheGGRs 

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