Senators request family planning aid for women in DRC Ebola crisis

Bipartisan senators Jeanne Shaheen (D‑N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R‑Alaska) urged the Trump administration to make family‑planning resources available for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak. In a letter sent on Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the senators requested that the administration lift restrictions on the release of family‑planning funding and supplies that have been withheld under current policy.

The senators highlighted the urgent need for contraceptives and reproductive health services in the DRC, where the Ebola epidemic has strained health systems and heightened risks for maternal mortality. They argued that access to family planning would help reduce unintended pregnancies, lower the burden on overstretched hospitals, and support broader public‑health efforts to curb the spread of the virus. The request follows the administration’s recent decision to suspend certain international health aid programs, a move critics say hampers coordinated disease‑control initiatives.

If the administration complies, the release of family‑planning supplies could provide critical support to women in conflict‑torn regions and contribute to stabilizing the DRC’s fragile health infrastructure. The senators’ appeal underscores the continuing debate over the U.S. government’s role in funding global health interventions, particularly during humanitarian crises.