PEPFAR, the renowned anti-HIV program, is facing a loss of funds as a result of the US pause in aid

PEPFAR, the renowned anti-HIV program, is facing a loss of funds as a result of the US pause in aid

Almost all global health funding from the United States was immediately halted by the Trump administration – and that apparently includes PEPFAR, the widely praised program that President George W. Bush launched in 2003 to prevent HIV/AIDS.

With its annual budget of $6.5 billion, PEPFAR – the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – provides HIV/AIDS medications to more than 20.6 million people to keep patients alive and prevent transmission of the virus . It also provides HIV/AIDS testing and education. According to a US State Department fact sheet, PEPFAR has saved an estimated 26 million lives since its inception.

The program has historically been supported by both parties in Congress.

On Friday, the State Department released a cable implementing President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 order that will halt virtually all U.S. foreign aid for at least 90 days pending a review of all programs. The only exceptions are emergency humanitarian aid and military funding to Israel and Egypt.

PEPFAR, which is funded exclusively by the U.S. government, was not specifically mentioned in the announcement. Officials at PEPFAR and the State Department did not respond to NPR's requests for clarification. But a source at USAID, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter, confirmed that the work stoppage applied “100% to PEPFAR.” USAID is the agency primarily responsible for managing humanitarian and development assistance.

This interpretation is shared by Jeremy Konyndyk, a top USAID official during the Obama and Biden administrations and currently president of the aid group Refugees International. “As written, the stop-work order does not preclude global health programs,” Jeremy Konyndyk wrote in an email to NPR.

Unless a waiver is declared in the coming days or weeks, PEPFAR faces an operational pause of at least three months – a development that has sent shockwaves through the global health community.

“This would mean an abrupt halt to PEPFAR and other life-saving programs, endangering the millions of people currently receiving U.S.-funded ARVs.” [HIV/AIDS antiretroviral] treatment,” Konyndyk said.

The spending freeze could also result in the “temporary suspension” of salaries for hundreds of contractors in USAID’s global health office, according to the USAID memo.

Such an attitude would leave workers in the dark about their employment status for the duration of the work stoppage – a situation that could lead to the loss of workers with many years of experience and knowledge.

The immediacy of the order surprised many in the global health sector. “Many people assumed that the 90-day freeze would only apply to forward-looking funding,” Asia Russell, executive director of HIV access organization Health GAP, told NPR.

That would be damaging enough, but stopping it immediately would be “catastrophic” and “much more cruel,” she said. “It is doing irreparable damage to the global fight against AIDS.”

Copyright 2025 NPR

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *