Statement from the Global AIDS Policy Partnership on Congressional Passage of Rescissions Package
The Global AIDS Policy Partnership welcomes the removal of funding for the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from the rescissions package. This action reaffirms the program’s strong, bipartisan support and the United States’ enduring leadership in the global fight to end AIDS. PEPFAR is a uniquely American, cost-effective, lifesaving humanitarian program that has had remarkable success. Its exclusion from the final package is a clear acknowledgment of the program’s value and the more than 26 million lives it has saved.
However, we are deeply disappointed to see that funding for other critical global health and development programs was cut. Reducing these resources undermines support for essential health and development programs including those responding to displacement, maternal health, and economic vulnerability.
Congress—not the Executive Branch—holds the power of the purse. Passage of the rescissions package sets a dangerous precedent, signaling that future administrations could unilaterally disregard Congressionally approved funding.
The removal of PEPFAR from this package is a critical step, but it is not enough. We urge Congress to work with the Administration to ensure PEPFAR funding is being utilized to prevent new infections, reach people living with and affected by HIV, and lead the world towards the end of AIDS.