2026 Global Poverty Laser Talks
Congress: Please uphold the U.S. pledge to the Global Fund in the FY27 budget
Engage: In 2002, the world came together to create the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Over the past two decades, this partnership has helped save 70 million lives.
Problem: Despite recent progress in global health, millions of people are still suffering. Tuberculosis (TB) killed 1.23 million people in 2024 alone. But the Global Fund has reduced the combined death rate of the three diseases by 63 percent, treating and preventing millions of cases every year.
Inform: In November 2025, the U.S. pledged $4.6 billion to the Global Fund for the next three years. We recommitted to our matching pledge of $1 for every $2 from other donors. Securing the full amount in FY27 will prevent further disruption in life-saving work and demonstrate continued leadership in ending these diseases.
Call to action: Will you ensure the U.S. pledge is upheld with new funding, not double counting previously appropriated money? Will you urge appropriators to include $1.5 billion for the Global Fund in Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27)?
Congress: Please invest in global Tuberculosis in the FY27 budget
Engage: While tuberculosis (TB) is often thought of as a disease of the past, it is the world’s leading infectious killer. The vast majority of cases are curable, but access to treatment often comes too late.
Problem: We’ve known how to prevent, treat, and cure TB for decades yet an estimated 10.7 million people fell ill and 1.23 million died in 2024. Every year, 2.7 million go undiagnosed. Treatment and diagnosis disruptions last year may lead to more drug resistance and millions of additional cases and deaths.
Inform: Congress can play a key role by continuing U.S. support for bilateral global TB programs. In 2023 alone, the U.S. supported the treatment of 113,000 cases of drug-resistant TB, diagnosis of 6.4 million patients, and prevention for 2.4 million people at the highest risk. Crucial research and new innovations have dramatically shortened TB treatment, reduced side effects, and saved more lives.
Call to Action: Congress can support countries to prevent, find, and treat all forms of TB. Will you urge appropriators to include $1 billion for global Tuberculosis in Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27)?
Congress: Please invest in global Maternal and Child Health, global Nutrition, and Gavi in the FY27 budget
Engage: We’ve made incredible progress on protecting children from deadly infectious diseases and ensuring safer pregnancies and births. But for the first time this century, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday has risen.
Problem: One in five children still do not have access to lifesaving vaccines. Over two thirds of non-pregnant women of reproductive age and half of preschool aged children are deficient in at least one micronutrient. Undernutrition is the underlying cause of nearly half of all deaths among children under five. Almost 5 million young children died in 2025, and 300,000 women die annually of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Inform: Congress can play a key role by continuing U.S. support for maternal and child health programs. Since 2000, there has been a 55 percent decrease in under-five child mortality and a 42 percent decline in maternal mortality across countries prioritized for investment. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has helped vaccinate over 1.2 billion children, preventing more than 20.6 million deaths.
Call to Action: Will you urge appropriators to include $1.15 billion for global Maternal and Child Health, including $340 million for Gavi, in Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27)? Will you also urge them to include $300 million for global Nutrition programs in FY27?
Congress: Please invest in global basic education and GPE in the FY27 budget
Engage: Over the past decades, the world has made incredible strides in improving access to education. The results of this commitment are clear: more kids than ever are getting the basic education they deserve.
Problem: Over 270 million children are out of school, and access to school alone does not equal learning. Too many children are not able to access foundational literacy skills. As a result, 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand a simple story. This learning crisis costs the global economy $3.3 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Inform:An entire generation is at risk, but this crisis is preventable. Congress can play a key role by funding bilateral basic education programs that reached 44 million students in FY23 alone. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supported over 370 million students since 2021, and plans to reach 750 million more in the next 5 years. Each extra school year completed increases future wages by 10%, improving economic growth and stability along with children’s futures.
Call to action: Congress can support millions more children by investing in quality basic education. Will you urge appropriators to include $970 million for global education, of which $150 million for GPE in Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27)?