Senate Republicans Block Trump's $400 Million PEPFAR Cut

President Donald Trump's administration has proposed a $9 billion spending cut, which includes a controversial $400 million reduction to PEPFAR, the U.S. HIV/AIDS relief program. This initiative, launched in 2003 by President George W. Bush, has been instrumental in saving millions of lives and preventing HIV infections globally, particularly in Africa. The U.S. has invested over $110 billion in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with PEPFAR credited for saving 26 million lives and helping control the epidemic in more than 50 countries.

Senate Republicans voted to preserve funding for HIV/AIDS relief, effectively abandoning the proposed cut to PEPFAR. This decision came after several Republican senators, including Sen. Susan Collins, objected to the reduction. The spending measure still includes cuts to unused funds from USAID and public broadcasting, but new language added by the Senate protects global health program funding related to maternal health, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, confirmed that Trump was on board with the PEPFAR exemption. He stated that the vast majority of the alleged savings remained intact despite the exemption. Vought and a small group of Republicans had previously argued for cutting PEPFAR funds, citing concerns over abortion-related activities. However, these claims have been refuted by senior PEPFAR officials and other implicated parties.

Despite the controversy, the move to save PEPFAR funding may help garner support from powerful lawmakers like Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and is a critic of Trump’s proposed cuts. Collins, along with GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has continued to vote against the broader spending legislation, despite a looming deadline for Congress.

The program has long enjoyed bipartisan support, having been reauthorized by Congress four times. However, the Trump administration’s near-shuttering of USAID, the main government agency responsible for implementing PEPFAR programming, has hindered the health initiative’s impacts. Similarly, reductions at the Centers for Disease Control, PEPFAR’s secondary implementing agency, stand to further reduce its efficacy.

Despite these challenges, a senior administration official maintained that Trump and the government remain committed to fighting HIV/AIDS. The administration pointed to continued funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS and targeted investments in areas such as mother-to-child prevention.