HIV

Report: US Funding Cuts Impeding Global HIV Treatment

Is this a deadly dismantling of a lifesaving program or a necessary reset to restore accountability?

Published 4 days ago

Report: US Funding Cuts Impeding Global HIV Treatment

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Above: A nurse uses a rapid HIV test on a man in Secunda, South Africa, June 5. Image credit: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

The Spin

Anti-Trump narrative

Cutting PEPFAR funding has shuttered more than 1,700 HIV clinics worldwide and put 16,000 health workers out of jobs, with no replacement funding in sight. Prevention spending dropped by more than half, and three-quarters of organizations serving the highest-risk populations ended at least one service. This dismantling of a program that saved 26 million lives is setting the stage for millions of new infections and deaths that were entirely preventable.

Unaids The New York Times Independent

Pro-Trump narrative

PEPFAR under the Biden administration drifted far from its core mission, getting tangled up in LGBTQ+ promotion, abortion services and rampant fraud — including corrupt Zambian officials reselling medicines meant to be free. Refocusing the program on measurable health outcomes and direct accountability is responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars that the previous approach clearly lacked.

Aei Heritage Foundation