Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bills Include Level and Full Funding for Malaria Programs

In a highly uncertain budgetary and political landscape, United to Beat Malaria welcomes the second package of final Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24)  appropriation bills. The spending package includes $795 million for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, level with the FY23 enacted budget, and $1.65 billion for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the maximum the U.S. can contribute in the second of a three-year pledge based on matching requirements between U.S. and non-U.S. donor sources.  

Over the past two decades, these two programs have saved 11.7 million lives, averted 2.1 billion cases, and propelled over 20 countries to achieve malaria elimination. Working in close collaboration with one another and partner countries, these life-saving programs not only save lives on a massive scale, but also bolster economies, empower youth, improve diplomatic relations with the U.S., and strengthen health systems and pandemic preparedness throughout the malaria-affected world. 

Despite overall cuts to global health programs, Congress sustained funding levels for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (29 million), which plays a critical role in malaria research and surveillance, both in the U.S. and in malaria-endemic countries.  Further, we’re pleased to see a $10 million increase to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ($300 million), which plays a central role in the malaria vaccine rollout.  

Within a highly constrained budget environment, level funding for malaria programs is a testament to the strong bipartisan support these programs have earned in Congress. Over the years, Beat Malaria Champions from over 40 states have helped strengthen that bipartisan support through year-round advocacy efforts, demonstrating that malaria is a priority in Congressional districts across the country.   

It’s vitally important that Congress continues its strong support of PMI, Global Fund, and other malaria programs. After two decades of remarkable progress, the fight against malaria has reached a critical crossroads. On one hand, progress has stalled in recent years due to  new and rising threatssuch as drug and insecticide resistance, increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events, and the spread of an invasive new mosquito species (A. stephensi).. And yet, despite these challenges, there are many reasons to be feel optimistic about the future of this fight: more countries than ever are on the cusp of elimination, and a host of innovative new tools (i.e. vaccines, spatial repellents, next-generation drugs and bed nets) are poised for mass deployment in the coming months and years.  

United to Beat Malaria looks forward tore working with Congress and the Administration to ensure robust funding and bipartisan support for bilateral and multilateral malaria programs in Fiscal Year 2025.  

 Learn more about the FY24 spending bill and its impact on global health.