On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, leaders in Congress introduced the Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act, legislation that would block implementation of the three rules comprising the Trump Administration's supercharged global gag rule (GGR), known as “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance.” The Guttmacher Institute fully supports the bill led by Senators Shaheen and Rosen and Reps. Meng, Frankel, DeGette, Jayapal, Jacobs, and Meeks.
The Trump Administration’s expansion of the GGR, effective as of February 2026, is the most expansive version in the policy’s four-decade history. By restricting all non-military US foreign assistance, this new GGR could apply to close to $39.8 billion, compared to $7.3 billion impacted by the first Trump Administration’s GGR, and extends restrictions to US-based NGOs, international organizations, foreign governments and parastatals.
“We applaud Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jacky Rosen and Reps. Meng, Frankel, DeGette, Jayapal, Jacobs, and Meeks for introducing legislation to block the supercharged global gag rule,” says Amy Friedrich-Karnik, Guttmacher Institute Director of Federal Policy. "This Trump administration policy weaponizes foreign assistance by trying to export harsh abortion bans and ideologically driven mandates to countries around the world.”
The bill would prohibit federal funding for the implementation, administration or enforcement of the three rules that threaten far-reaching and harmful consequences for reproductive health, LGBTQ+ communities and equity programs worldwide:
- Expanding abortion restrictions across all US foreign assistance: Like past iterations, the policy prohibits activities related to “abortion as a method of family planning.” Any activity related to funding, counseling or referring, lobbying, educating or informing people about abortion care is prohibited. This impact is harmful on its face and has broader effects on health care. Guttmacher research in Uganda and Ethiopia revealed how the global gag rule as implemented during Trump’s first term stalled and even reversed progress on the countries’ reproductive health outcomes by disrupting access to contraception and increasing rates of unintended pregnancy.
- Prohibiting support for transgender people: The rule bans the promotion of so-called "gender ideology," including gender-affirming care and basic social practices such as respecting a person's name or pronouns. This provision weaponizes US foreign assistance against LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, stripping resources from programs that provide essential health services and social support.
- Banning equity programs through vague, sweeping language: The rule prohibits the promotion of "discriminatory equity ideology," expanding its domestic crusade against “diversity, equity, and inclusion” frameworks. Applied to global programs, the language is vague and difficult to interpret—and experience shows that when policies are unclear, organizations overcorrect and over-comply out of fear of losing funding. That chilling effect will be even more severe now, as thousands of organizations navigate these restrictions for the first time.
“Guttmacher research shows that this policy in its previous form already had detrimental effects on patients, health systems and services, and this greatly expanded policy will only magnify those harms.” said Friedrich-Karnik. “This bill is critical to combatting the Trump administration's unprecedented attempt to roll back rights worldwide and strip resources from the world’s most vulnerable populations, including LGBTQ+ communities around the world.”