WASHINGTON (Chatnewstv.com) — The Trump administration on Thursday released its “America First Global Health Strategy,” a plan officials said will save lives abroad while strengthening the United States’ ability to stop infectious disease outbreaks before they reach American shores.
The strategy, announced by the State Department, is organized around three pillars: keeping Americans safer, making global health partnerships stronger, and ensuring the U.S. economy more prosperous.
“We will keep Americans safe by continuing to support a global surveillance system that can rapidly detect infectious disease outbreaks,” the State Department said in a statement. “When there is an outbreak, we will be prepared to work with local governments to respond promptly. When necessary, we will surge resources to ensure the outbreak is contained.”
Under the “Stronger” pillar, the administration described a shift in foreign assistance, calling it not just aid but a “strategic mechanism to further our bilateral interests.” The plan envisions multi-year agreements with recipient countries, requiring governments to co-invest while ensuring funding for frontline health workers and essential medical supplies.
“These bilateral agreements will bring to an end a prolonged period of dependency on health foreign assistance,” the statement said, adding that Washington will promote government-to-government partnerships, private sector investment, and performance benchmarks aimed at helping countries build self-reliant health systems.
The third pillar emphasizes protecting American workers and promoting U.S. innovation. The government said it would buy and distribute American-made health products abroad through aid programs while using diplomatic ties to boost exports of U.S. health technologies.
“With our new America First Global Health Strategy, we will not only save lives and assist countries around the world in developing resilient and durable health systems, but we will also make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” the State Department said.
