Summary
In January 2026, the Trump Administration released three final rules – under the guise of “Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance” (PHFFA) – that dramatically expand the Global Gag Rule to weaponize foreign assistance and force compliance with the administration’s extremist, ideological agenda. A policy repeatedly rescinded by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican pres`idents since 1984, the Global Gag Rule historically prohibited foreign organizations receiving U.S. funding from providing information, services, or referrals for abortion services – even with their own money. Extended to cover all of global health assistance during the Trump Administration’s first term and reinstated in January 2025, the policy will now apply to new funding, new entities, and new activities. The rules are entitled “Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance” (PLIFA), “Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance” (CGIFA), and “Combating Discriminatory Equity Ideology in Foreign Assistance” (CDEIFA).
Under previous iterations of the policy which focused on abortion, the Global Gag Rule caused widespread harm to the health and rights of women and LGBTQI+ people around the globe. With this expansion, the resulting impacts of the policy will be even more devastating, undermining human rights and access to lifesaving services across the international system.