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Hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid for global vaccines are at risk of expiring in just a few months—thanks to an unprecedented intervention by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The famously anti-vaccine head of the U.S. domestic health agency has inserted himself into the aid disbursement process, despite having no legal authority to do so. Now, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—which provides vaccines to low-income countries for child immunization campaigns—is facing a critical funding shortfall that it says could result in the deaths of more than 1 million children.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid for global vaccines are at risk of expiring in just a few months—thanks to an unprecedented intervention by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The famously anti-vaccine head of the U.S. domestic health agency has inserted himself into the aid disbursement process, despite having no legal authority to do so. Now, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—which provides vaccines to low-income countries for child immunization campaigns—is facing a critical funding shortfall that it says could result in the deaths of more than 1 million children.

Congress over the last two fiscal years has directed a total of $600 million to Gavi. But those funds have yet to be provided due to the unusual and legally questionable deference U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has extended to Kennedy, who is pressuring Gavi to make changes to its vaccine portfolio.

Amid the escalating Ebola outbreak in East Africa, Democrats and even some Republicans are increasingly frustrated at the aid funding holdup and have pressed Rubio—a longtime vaccine and Gavi proponent during his time in the Senate—to overrule Kennedy. The funding’s congressional authorization expires at the end of September.

“This is Secretary Rubio’s authority and Secretary Rubio’s authority only,........

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