A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has urged the Trump administration to release family planning funding and supplies to support women impacted by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a letter sent on Thursday, August 1, 2026, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) requested lifting the freeze on $608 million in congressionally appropriated international family planning funds, as well as $1.7 million in family planning products already purchased. The senators warned these products risk being destroyed if not deployed.
The lawmakers highlighted the severe risks of Ebola during pregnancy, describing it as "catastrophic, with a nearly 100 percent fetal loss rate and catastrophic maternal mortality risk due to severe hemorrhaging." They emphasized that providing women with voluntary options to prevent unplanned pregnancies and protect themselves from virus transmission could prevent further deaths among women and fetuses exposed to Ebola.
Shaheen and Murkowski also urged the State Department to consider a "humanitarian exemption" to enable U.S. support for the UN Population Fund and the resumption of reproductive health programs in the DRC.
The Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has been exacerbated by a humanitarian crisis in the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of Wednesday, WHO reported 3,532 confirmed cases and 1,556 deaths. The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention noted the outbreak has killed over 1,000 people since it began in May.
The call from senators Shaheen and Murkowski reflects growing concern over the health crisis and the need for international aid to address reproductive health amid the epidemic.
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