Vice President JD Vance on Friday announced that the United States will stop funding any foreign organization involved in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or work related to transgender issues, marking a sweeping expansion of long-standing restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance.
Speaking at the annual March for Life rally in Washington, Vance said the policy represents a “historic expansion of the Mexico City Policy,” a rule that prohibits foreign organizations receiving U.S. global health funding from providing or promoting abortion, even when such activities are financed through non-U.S. sources.
President Donald Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy last year, continuing a pattern established by Republican administrations since the policy was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Democratic presidents have consistently rescinded the rule while in office, citing concerns over global health and women’s rights.
“Now we’re expanding this policy to protect life, to combat diversity, equity and inclusion and the radical gender ideologies that prey on our children,” Vance told supporters gathered on the National Mall. “This rule is about three times as big as it was before, and we’re proud of it because we believe in fighting for life.”
Under the expanded rule, any organization receiving non-military U.S. foreign assistance will be barred from working on abortion, DEI initiatives or transgender-related issues, regardless of whether those activities are funded by other governments or private donors. The State Department finalized the policy change on Friday afternoon, following months of internal development by the Trump administration.
Vance accused the previous Biden administration of “exporting abortion and radical gender ideology all around the world,” arguing that U.S. aid had been used to promote values that conflict with the administration’s emphasis on traditional family structures. Since taking office a year ago, the Trump administration has significantly reduced overall foreign aid, citing concerns over waste, ideology and national priorities.
“It’s our job to promote families and human flourishing,” Vance said. He added that the administration had “turned off the tap for NGOs whose sole purpose is to dissuade people from having kids,” framing the decision as part of a broader effort to support population growth and social stability.
Republican lawmakers who oppose abortion praised the move. Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, called the expanded aid restrictions “the best and most comprehensive iteration” of the Mexico City Policy since its creation. Smith, also speaking at the March for Life, said the policy would ensure U.S. taxpayer funds are aligned with “the defense of life and family.”
However, domestic and international advocacy groups strongly criticized the decision, warning that it would undermine healthcare access and civil society in vulnerable regions.
“History shows that the Mexico City Policy not only diminishes access to essential services for women and girls, but also breaks down networks of organizations working on women’s rights and silences civil society,” the International Crisis Group said in a statement. The organization added that the expansion would “compound the global regression on gender equality that has accelerated over the past year.”
International groups often refer to the policy as the “global gag rule” because of the restrictions it places on how organizations can speak about or engage in advocacy related to reproductive health. Defend Public Health, a network opposing the Trump administration’s health policies, said the new rule would limit humanitarian organizations’ ability to provide education and information on maternal mortality, sexual and reproductive health, and social stigma.
“This expansion would effectively coerce organizations into denying that transgender, nonbinary and intersex people exist,” the group said, warning of long-term consequences for public health and human rights worldwide.
The policy is expected to have wide-ranging effects across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where U.S. funding plays a major role in health and development programs.
