White House Backs Protecting AIDS-Fighting Initiative from Rescissions Cuts

The Trump administration approves of an amended rescissions package that would remove cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an AIDS-fighting initiative established under former President George W. Bush.

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said after a lunch with Senate Republicans that “we’re fine with” the amended version of the rescissions package that removes cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Hill noted. Without cuts to PEPFAR, the package would still rescind $9 billion in spending.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) also said Tuesday that PEPFAR cuts will be taken from the package, as did Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), per Politico.

In a statement to Breitbart News, a senior administration official said, “America remains the most generous country in the world because President Trump has a humanitarian heart, and we urge other nations to dramatically increase their humanitarian efforts.”

“PEPFAR continues to support lifesaving HIV testing, care and treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission services approved by the Secretary of State,” the official added. “An estimated 86 percent of beneficiaries could be receiving lifesaving treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services based on the full operational capacity of all active awards.”

PEPFAR is active in 40 countries, serving over 18 million people around the world.

The official emphasized that the limited program cuts focused on “LGBTQ education and capacity building” rather than “core life-saving care.”

The administration is continuing to invest in “key areas of focus” including mother-to-child transmission prevention, while working to ensure other nations contribute more to relief efforts, per the senior official.

Moreover, the source highlighted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved $1.3 billion in funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, with the vast majority of the funding going to “anti-retrovirals and other commodities.”

“But Secretary Rubio has kept life-saving and high-impact aid programs ongoing, with cuts targeting wasteful DEI programs, capacity building, waste and bloat at the United Nations and left-wing NGOs and other activities that saved no lives,” the official said.