The open letter, released by the newly formed Friends of PAHO, counters the White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, which seeks to strip the organization of its U.S. financial backing. Signatories argue that the body is an essential front-line defense against pathogens like H5N1 Avian Influenza, Dengue, and the reemerging New World Screwworm. They contend that infectious threats recognize no borders, and the agency’s 27 regional offices provide the only surveillance network capable of stopping outbreaks before they reach U.S. soil.

Founded in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt, the organization has historically been a cornerstone of regional health stability. The current push to save the funding is backed by a diverse group of over 100 influential figures, including former HHS Secretaries Donna Shalala and Tommy Thompson, as well as infectious disease experts like Michael Osterholm and historian John Barry. These leaders maintain that cutting ties with the Washington-based body is not merely a budgetary decision, but a strategic retreat that compromises the safety and economic interests of the United States across the hemisphere.