Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
Months into fighting the COVID-19 pandemic at home and abroad, the United States is continuing to lead the global charge against the pandemic, building on decades of leadership in life-saving health and humanitarian assistance. Through the generosity of the American people, our foreign assistance is saving lives and helping to mitigate economic devastation around the world.
The American people continue to prove they are the most generous humanitarians the world has ever known with today’s commitment of an additional $162 million for COVID-19 response, bringing the total to date to more than $1 billion since the outbreak began.
The new funding announced today will continue to support vital interventions in health; water, sanitation, and hygiene; protection; and logistics; while also beginning to address the rapid rise in food insecurity driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding supports emergency food assistance, a first in our provision of COVID-19 supplemental funding to-date. Emergency food assistance is particularly important as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains, restricted movement and created macroeconomic instability. It is part of our multifaceted humanitarian response to save the lives of the most vulnerable as they weather the impacts of this deadly virus.
The United States has truly mobilized as a nation to combat COVID-19 both at home and abroad, and has fulfilled President Trump’s commitment to provide ventilators to our allies in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The first shipment of American-made ventilators donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development arrived in South Africa on May 11, and more are on the way to other partners and allies.
Even while battling the virus here at home, private American businesses, nonprofits, charities, faith-based groups, and individuals continue to out give the entire rest of the world combined, having provided more than $4.3 billion in donations and assistance globally, in addition to what our government has provided.