Hello friend,
The end of 2025 is fast approaching, and with the conclusion of this particularly difficult year, we’re taking a look back to remind ourselves of all that we’ll continue fighting for in 2026.
In January, Trump signed an executive order freezing all foreign aid. Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) quickly began shutting down USAID, thereby eliminating access to contraception, cutting life-saving maternal and child health programs, halting delivery of HIV/AIDS medications to millions, and much, much more.
While Elon Musk and DOGE are no longer wreaking havoc in DC, the damage has been done, and the freeze continues to burn a path of unmet need for contraception around the world. An estimated 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and 34,000 preventable pregnancy-related deaths will result over the course of one year without the US contribution to international family planning.
The Trump administration doubled down on this cruelty over the summer when it announced plans in July to incinerate nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives that were (and still are) stuck languishing in a Belgian warehouse. While these plans stalled due to Belgian law, the administration is now running out the clock as expiration dates loom on these products. Trump’s State Department would rather waste taxpayer dollars than help girls and women in low-income countries.
In October, we also learned that this administration is planning an expansion of the horrendous Global Gag Rule in its unending quest to cause harm. This will extend the scope of the policy to target “gender ideology” and DEI programs and will newly impact all non-military foreign aid spending—including funding to governments, multilateral agencies, and US NGOs, which have previously not been targeted by the policy.
But throughout it all, we have continued to organize and resist Trump’s efforts to destroy hard-fought progress on expanding access to contraceptives, reducing maternal and child mortality, and increasing educational and economic opportunities for millions of people around the world. We mobilized voters to contact their representatives to demand a restoration of global health funding and to save the $10 million contraceptive stockpile.
In November, we met people from all over the world who have been directly impacted by USAID cuts at the International Conference on Family Planning. We’re also preparing for our on-the-ground organizing efforts across four states next year.
Hope is never lost, not when we have so many people working to make a better future. As we look ahead to next year, we want to take a moment and thank you for reading the Repro Rundown amidst a busy season and challenging year. Your work and support are critical to this movement, and we hope you take the time to rest, regroup, and recharge to keep fighting in 2026. We wish you a happy holiday season!
