A bipartisan group of senior senators is pressuring the Trump administration to spend $600 million Congress approved for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, warning that the funds are critical to preventing disease outbreaks globally and protecting American public health.

Six members of the Senate Appropriations Committee — including Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell — sent the letter Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to fulfill the government's commitment to Gavi. The signees included three Republicans and three Democrats: Chairwoman Susan Collins of Maine; ranking member Patty Murray of Washington; McConnell; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Brian Schatz of Hawaii; and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, who chairs the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, did not sign.

"GAVI plays a critical role in averting the spread of preventable diseases around the globe and helps protect public health in our country by stopping outbreaks before they reach our borders," the senators wrote in the letter.

The senators emphasized Gavi's track record, noting the organization has immunized more than 1.1 billion children and prevented 20.6 million deaths since 2000. The House of Representatives approved $300 million for Gavi in the fiscal year 2026 budget bill, though the funds await Senate approval and presidential sign-off.

The appropriators also highlighted the economic benefits. Gavi "supports U.S. industry and jobs, purchasing more than $12.5 billion in U.S.-manufactured goods and vaccines." The organization is "the world's leading purchaser of U.S.-produced vaccines and hosts the U.S.-founded global vaccine stockpile," they noted.

The letter comes as the Trump administration has pursued significant cuts to global health spending. Trump's 2026 budget request called for slashing foreign assistance for childhood vaccination programs by 60%, from about $10 billion to under $3.7 billion. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in June 2025 that the Trump administration was halting all U.S. funding for Gavi, citing vaccine safety concerns that health experts have disputed.

McConnell, a polio survivor, has been vocal about vaccine support. In December, he warned that anyone seeking Senate confirmation should "steer clear" of efforts to undermine confidence in vaccines.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the congressional letter, saying the department does not "comment on congressional correspondence."