US Unfreezes $600 Million to Gavi After Commitments on Mercury-Free Vaccines

The United States will release $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, after the Geneva-based organization committed to moving away from mercury-containing vaccines and implementing other measures, the State Department and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Wednesday.

In a joint statement, the departments said that President Donald Trump directed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio last year to work directly with Gavi and ensure meaningful reforms before considering future appropriations. 

“Those discussions resulted in significant commitments that strengthen vaccine safety, improve public health, and better align Gavi’s work with the principles of Gold Standard Science and transparency,” they said. “Based on those commitments, the United States will immediately release all $600 million in Congressionally appropriated funds to Gavi for both FY25 and FY26.”

Gavi, a global health partnership, said it would work toward moving away from mercury-containing vaccines and easing access to newer, mercury-free alternatives. 

Gavi did not immediately return a request for comment.

“The Administration believes reducing reliance on mercury-containing vaccines, where suitable alternatives are available, is a pro-vaccine, pro-innovation policy,” the joint statement said.

“The United States and the European Union removed mercury from most childhood vaccines 25 years ago. As of June 2025, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices no longer recommends any mercury-containing vaccines. Children in Africa, Asia, and Latin America deserve access to the same higher-quality, mercury-free vaccines, and these changes will also expand protection against additional disease strains.”

Gavi has already implemented additional reforms requested by the United States, including discontinuing the promotion and procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for routine immunization programs, as well as reorganizing and downsizing staff in Geneva.

The United States also said that it will not provide U.S. government funding to the World Health Organization through Gavi.

In May, a bipartisan group of senators, including Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), called upon the State Department to release the allocated funds.

“We urge you to quickly provide the U.S. contribution to Gavi, consistent with Congressional intent, to ensure U.S. leadership continues in global vaccination efforts,” the senators wrote in a letter to Rubio. Congress had allocated $300 million for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

An HHS spokesperson previously told The Epoch Times that Gavi had declined to provide specific data, studies, or detailed accounting of how U.S. funds were used and had declined to create a plan to phase out thimerosal-containing vaccines despite a formal request. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative.

Kennedy announced in 2025 that U.S. officials would not fund Gavi over concerns the group was neglecting vaccine safety, citing the lack of commitment to thimerosal removal.

Reuters contributed to this report.