Congress Bypasses RFK Jr.’s GAVI Pullout: $3.5 Billion Funneled to Bill Gates’ Vaccine Network
So disappointing...
This article originally appeared on Jon Fleetwood’s Substack and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Jon Fleetwood
Senate to consider bill making $3.5 billion available for pandemic purposes and Gates-linked vaccine network after Kennedy pulled U.S. funding.
The U.S. House of Representatives last month passed a sweeping federal spending bill that makes $3.5 billion available for pandemic-related purposes under the authority of the State Department, granting the agency broad discretion to fund pandemic response and global health security programs overseas.
The bill also makes the funds available to Bill Gates’ vaccine cartel GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), despite HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrawing American funding from GAVI in June of last year.
By routing pandemic-eligible funding through the State Department rather than HHS, Congress appears to be preserving—and potentially restoring—U.S. support for GAVI through a foreign-policy funding channel, effectively bypassing the prior withdrawal ordered by Secretary Kennedy.
The new legislation, H.R. 7006, formally titled the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, was approved by the House on January 14 by a 341–79 vote and has since been received in the Senate, clearing a major procedural hurdle toward becoming law.
You can see which Representatives voted ‘yes’ here.
Buried within the bill’s State Department and foreign operations section is a $3,531,975,000 appropriation for “Global Health Programs,” a funding account that the bill explicitly states “shall be made available” for pandemics and other infectious disease outbreaks, along with global health security initiatives.
While the bill does not earmark a fixed dollar amount exclusively for pandemics, the statutory language authorizes the entire $3.5 billion pool to be used for pandemic purposes at the State Department’s discretion, without setting a cap or requiring further congressional approval.
The bill reads on pages 211 and 212:
“For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $3,531,975,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, and which shall be apportioned directly to the Department of State:”
…
“[including] programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to unanticipated and emerging global health threats, including zoonotic diseases”
Legislative Status
H.R. 7006 was introduced on January 12 by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), advanced through the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, and passed after multiple floor debates and recorded votes.
The bill is now pending Senate consideration.
You can find and contact your Senator here.
Bottom Line
If enacted, the legislation would lock in $3.5 billion in State Department-controlled funding that is explicitly authorized for use in pandemics—even though no pandemic is currently declared—and would effectively reopen a funding channel to the Gates-linked vaccine network GAVI.
Copyright 2026 Jon Fleetwood
