Senator Leahy Criticizes Trump Administration “Misguided” Decision To Deny U.S. Funding To The UN Population Fund

The Trump Administration’s predictable decision, announced yesterday, to withhold United States funding from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), demonstrates once again this Administration’s irrational, ideological approach to family planning and reproductive health worldwide.

For the fourth year in a row, Secretary Pompeo has invoked the Kemp-Kasten amendment to withhold $32.5 million that Congress appropriated for UNFPA in fiscal year 2020.  It is especially disturbing that Secretary Pompeo, in his determination, inaccurately claims that UNFPA is “implementing a portion of its family planning program in partnership with the Chinese government entity responsible for carrying out China’s family planning practices.”