The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans to provide an additional $242 million to support efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the U.S. Department of State announced.
The funding, which is subject to consultations with Congress, will be used for rapid outbreak response, strengthening regional preparedness, and providing humanitarian assistance related to the spread of the disease.
Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has significantly reduced international aid programs. It has cut foreign assistance funding, reviewed numerous international initiatives, and withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the State Department, the new funding builds on commitments made by the United States at the G7 Summit in June and will bring total direct U.S. assistance for the Ebola response to more than $512 million.
In addition, the administration announced $350 million in humanitarian assistance for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. The funding is part of a previously announced $1.8 billion package for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and is intended to support multiple countries.
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease that spreads through direct contact with infected individuals or their bodily fluids.
The humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) warned that, two and a half months after the outbreak began, the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is more critical than ever. The country is experiencing its largest recorded Ebola outbreak, with more than 3,600 laboratory-confirmed cases and over 1,500 deaths.
