Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has lifted his hold on $600 million in U.S. funding for a global vaccine alliance after the organization agreed to phase out vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative that Kennedy has long criticized. The Trump administration announced Wednesday it would immediately release the congressionally approved funding for Gavi, the Geneva-based vaccine alliance that helps low-income countries immunize children against diseases including measles and diphtheria. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, had threatened last year to end all U.S. funding for Gavi, accusing the organization of ignoring vaccine safety concerns. The United States has historically provided about 13% of Gavi's funding, or roughly $300 million annually.