EDMONTON, Canada — Good news for global development: the Global Fragility Reauthorization Act has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Amid U.S. political instability, tariff wars and drastic budget cuts, Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51) and Michael Michael (R-TX-10) have joined forces to champion H.R. 3005. Bipartisan support for the bill is a breath of fresh air in a currently divisive political landscape and indicates growing momentum for combating global poverty since the 90-day pause on USAID funding in early 2025.
The Global Fragility Act: The Basics
The Trump administration signed the original GFA into law in 2019. The Rep. McCaul-led bill promoted a preventative approach to international political instability, a change from the United States’ historically reactive mentality when addressing global conflict. The GFA takes on a long term approach and calls for a 10-year plan outlining action plans across five priority regions. Uniquely, it stresses the need for collaboration with local organizations to address the individual sociopolitical contexts of each country. It also emphasizes the importance of cooperation, integrating U.S. government agencies with a coalition of international humanitarian organizations such as the Alliance for Peacebuilding and Mercy Corps.
Challenges
Since its enactment, the Global Fragility Act has faced several implementation challenges. An early hurdle was the delayed submission of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS), which was required by law to be delivered by September 15, 2020. The strategy was not introduced until December 2020—beyond the 270-day timeline—and initially did not identify priority regions. By April 2022, the U.S. had designated Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Libya and Mozambique as priority countries, with Coastal West Africa added as a priority region; the 10-year plans for each location were not submitted to Congress until March 2023.
Additional challenges include aligning objectives and accountability with host-country governments, some of which have limited capacity or stability to drive implementation. Coordinating donors has also proven difficult, as successful collaboration depends on private-sector investment and consistent engagement among sponsoring organizations, each operating under its own fiscal policies.
Making Improvements
The Global Fragility Reauthorization Act not only renews the GFA’s budget but also incorporates amendments designed to enhance program efficiency and sustain momentum. Specifically, the added requirement of yearly meetings and day-to-day implementation support by a government official ranked as a director or senior advisor. Further, the 2025 report to Congress on Progress Implementing the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS) acknowledges the need for increased efficiency, creating government agencies such as the Prevention and Stabilization Steering Committee, tasked with overseeing institutional coherence within implementation. Additional agency contributions include legislative proposals to facilitate the allocation of resources to the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Committee.
In Essence
Although the GFA has faced several challenges, it continues to innovate and embrace strategic proposals from multiple institutions to drive progress. Interviews and data analysis further drive efforts for consistent improvement in implementation and collaboration efficiency in tandem with increased monitoring efforts. Overall, the Global Fragility Reauthorization Act moves to extend the GFA’s budget with respect to the Prevention and Stabilization as well as Complex Crisis funds, and implement strategies for greater monitoring and accountability regarding program implementation and its local effects. With bipartisan backing and the precedent that the original GFA passed under the first Trump administration, it is hoped that the GFRA will move smoothly through both chambers of Congress and be reauthorized into law.
– Emily Galán
Emily is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Unsplash