Global AIDS program survives, but backers ‘not satisfied’

The U.S. global AIDS relief program has been approved for another year in a bipartisan budget deal, but public health advocates say a single year sends worrying signals about the future of the U.S. approach to the problem. It is claimed that there is.

The minibus passed by the House on Friday reauthorized the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through March 25, 2025, without adding the anti-abortion rider to the program that Republican lawmakers had sought.

However, this is the first time that the program has not been granted a five-year extension.

The Foundation for AIDS Research amfAR applauded the House’s passage of the reauthorization, but added that “a one-year reauthorization signals to other countries that ending the HIV pandemic is no longer a priority for the United States.”

Since its launch in 2003, PEPFAR has become one of the most successful instruments of U.S. health diplomacy. Nevertheless, stopgap measures introduced in the months after the first-ever expiry in September did not include any steps toward reauthorization.

Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said she was “pleased but not satisfied” with the one-year extension.

Even a short-term authorization would ensure stability for a program that has saved more than 25 million lives. But Katie Koster, associate director of public policy and advocacy at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, said the single year included in the spending bill could create uncertainty in the countries where PEPFAR works. Ta.

The regulations, which expired last year, govern how PEPFAR funds are allocated and how the United States contributes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. If these provisions remain in place for a long time, they may discourage other donors from making donations.

A short-term extension could spark new battles next year, but policy experts say it’s unwarranted given the program’s bipartisan support and proven track record.

“Any uncertainty on the ground has an impact,” Spellings said.

“Save millions of lives, establish American leadership, advance national security at home and abroad, improve a sound model, challenge bilateral relations, and prove its worth for a million reasons.” “If there was a program that did that. I mean, over and over again, that’s a winner,” she added.

The move to add new anti-abortion guardrails to PEPFAR partners is led by Rep. Chris Smith (R.N.J.) to implement the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prohibits the provision of foreign aid to organizations that support abortion services. called for the revival of

President Biden rescinded the Mexico City policy in 2021.

Mr. Smith’s request effectively blocked PEPFAR’s reauthorization, but the program continues to operate as usual.

Coester said the program can withstand short-term approval lapses. But he warned that moving to a one-year reauthorization could increase the likelihood of long-term expirations and threaten overall stability.

“I think this approval confirms that there is still strong bipartisan support for the PEPFAR program,” Koester said.

“And we recognize that U.S. leadership and the global HIV response are essential to ending the epidemic. We are obviously grateful that Congress included the extension, but it is clear that PEPFAR We are disappointed that we are not meeting the needs of the program.”

HIV and AIDS groups argue that criticism of PEPFAR by abortion opponents is fundamentally flawed because the program’s funds are not directed to pro-abortion groups.

Although the Mexico City Policy was repealed, the Helms Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1973 still prohibits foreign aid from funding abortions.

“The groups that were attacking the program don’t understand that,” Koester said. “I don’t think they understand how it works. I don’t think they understand the good it brings.”

The Hill has reached out to Smith’s office for comment.