ICYMI: Congressional Caucuses Condemn Trump Global Gag Rule Expansion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the leadership of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus (RFC), Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC), Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released the following joint statement in response to the Trump administration’s unprecedented expansion of the Mexico City Policy, or Global Gag Rule:

“For over four decades, Republican administrations have undermined global reproductive health using the deadly Global Gag Rule. This recurrent anti-abortion extremism has forced critical organizations and health care providers to choose between receiving the U.S. funds that allow their services to reach more people and providing the full range of essential health care. The rule currently in place, expanded by Donald Trump, already weaponizes U.S. global health assistance against the very people it is meant to help to an unprecedented degree—and to the cost of women and girls’ lives and health. 

Now, the Trump administration is exporting their extreme Project 2025 playbook abroad to weaponize all foreign assistance dollars, including humanitarian aid, and cause even more harm to even more marginalized communities. In Donald Trump's global order, organizations that ensure minority communities have targeted resources to help them, acknowledge the existence of transgender people, or recognize the health needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls are all disqualified from receiving U.S. funds. This will deliberately rip vital services and support systems out of the hands of those who need them most by stripping funding from partners on the ground who recognize the unique realities and challenges those individuals face. 

We strongly condemn this weaponization of U.S. foreign assistance to undermine human rights and global health. We will not rest until we ensure that our foreign aid dollars can never be used as a weapon against women, people of color, or LGBTQI+ people ever again.”

Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), RFC
Chair Mark Takano (CA-39), CEC
Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), DWC
Chair Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), CHC
Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), CAPAC
Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09), CBC