Preserve Lifesaving Global HIV Programs

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), one of the most successful global health programs in history, is being quietly dismantled. Launched in 2003 by President George W. Bush, PEPFAR has saved an estimated 26 million lives, connected 20.6 million people to HIV treatment, ensured 7.8 million babies were born HIV-free, and tested 83.8 million people for HIV in Fiscal Year 2024 alone. Despite the program’s impact and bipartisan popularity, PEPFAR has already lost millions in funding through the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its funding through the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is now also under threat absent congressional action.

While a reduced level of PEPFAR funding was appropriated for FY 2026, the State Department has not transferred enough PEPFAR funds to the CDC to sustain ongoing programming past the end of June. Meanwhile, State Department officials are attempting to seize control over PEPFAR without input from global health experts or Congress. Public health watchdogs are raising the alarm that PEPFAR funds must be released to the CDC immediately to avoid further disruptions to evidence-based HIV prevention programs and infrastructure. Urge Congress to demand the immediate release of approved PEPFAR funding to the public health experts of the CDC.

Issue brief and script courtesy of Defend Public Health.