Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release $608 million [1] in family-planning funds.
The request aims to mitigate the impact of an Ebola outbreak on women and infants in East Africa. Because the virus disproportionately threatens vulnerable populations, the senators said that immediate financial intervention is necessary to prevent further loss of life.
In a letter dated July 30, 2026 [2], the bipartisan pair called for the State Department to take swift action. The funding is intended for voluntary family-planning programming in regions currently battling the virus [1].
The outbreak is specifically affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda [3]. The senators said that these congressionally appropriated funds are essential for protecting the health of women, and children in these areas [1].
By unlocking the $608 million [1], the U.S. would support critical health infrastructure and reproductive services. This aid is designed to operate alongside broader medical responses to the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda [3].
The senators said the release of these funds is a matter of urgency given the deadly nature of the outbreak. They highlighted the specific risks faced by infants and women in the affected East African regions [1].
“Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release $608 million in family-planning funds.”
The bipartisan pressure on the State Department reflects a strategic effort to integrate reproductive health services into emergency pandemic responses. By tying family-planning funds to the Ebola crisis, lawmakers are attempting to ensure that maternal and infant health is not sidelined during a high-mortality viral outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
