Trump Admin’s Proposed Rescissions to Global Health Programs Would Devastate PEPFAR
The Global AIDS Policy Partnership (GAPP)—a coalition of over 70 organizations committed to ending HIV/AIDS through robust, inclusive, and sustained U.S. leadership—strongly opposes the Trump Administration’s proposal to rescind $900 million in already-appropriated Fiscal Year 2025 funds for Global Health Programs.
These proposed cuts—$500 million from USAID global health programming and $400 million from State Department HIV/AIDS programs implemented by USAID—would be devastating to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the critical global health programs that support and complement its life-saving work.
For over 20 years, PEPFAR has been one of the most successful global health initiatives in history. The program’s innovative, target-driven, integrated, and science-based prevention and treatment programming has fundamentally changed the course of the HIV epidemic, saving 26 million lives, enabling more than 20 million people to access antiretroviral treatment, and ensuring 5.5 million babies have been born HIV-free, and dramatically reducing HIV-related deaths.
PEPFAR has not only helped to turn the tide against AIDS in some of the hardest-hit regions of the world—it has also strengthened health systems, supported local leadership, and expanded laboratory, surveillance, and supply chain infrastructure. Furthermore, PEPFAR-supported infrastructure has been essential to keeping Americans here at home safe by combatting other global health threats, including Ebola and Marburg.
The program’s work has earned the U.S. widespread respect and gratitude, reinforcing its role as a trusted global partner and a leader in international development and diplomacy. There are places in the world where “PEPFAR” is synonymous with “the U.S.” — the positive view of our country based largely on the experience with the program.
PEPFAR is a shining example of U.S. global health leadership and true bipartisanship. These funds, which were already appropriated by Congress, represent a commitment to saving lives and upholding America’s values, global standing, and future security. GAPP urges Congress to reject these rescissions in full and work through the appropriations process. PEPFAR and other global health programs are indispensable pillars of U.S. global leadership—and now is the time to protect and strengthen them, not dismantle their foundations.