US Proposal To Eliminate PAHO Funding Raises Alarm Over Health Security In Western Hemisphere

Key Points:

• The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the oldest multilateral health organization, faces severe funding cuts due to the US President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal to eliminate US contributions, which account for half of PAHO’s funding.
• Senior US national security and health officials have condemned the proposed defunding, emphasizing PAHO’s crucial role as the “first line of defense” against infectious diseases in the Americas and urging Congress to maintain funding.
• PAHO has already implemented a 17% budget reduction and plans significant staff cuts from 1,042 to approximately 869 positions by 2027, while continuing to coordinate regional responses to outbreaks and disasters despite financial challenges.
• The US administration’s move to cut funding is linked to a decade-old scandal involving forced labor allegations against Cuban doctors, though many experts view this as an outdated justification for withholding support.
• PAHO’s longstanding history of disease control and regional health security cooperation is seen as vital to protecting US national security and economic interests, especially as US bilateral health presence in the region diminishes with USAID closures and uncertain CDC operations.