The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the most substantial governmental effort to address a single disease in American history.
Since 2003, the U.S. government has dedicated more than $100 billion to PEPFAR, and the State Department credits the program with providing life-saving care to 25 million people. PEPFAR was last reauthorized in 2018 and is up for reauthorization again in 2023.
However, the Biden administration has sought to use PEPFAR to push a radical social agenda abroad, particularly with regard to funding abortion and promoting LGBT ideology. This is a gross misuse of PEPFAR funds and resources and does not ultimately serve PEPFAR’s mission of ending HIV/AIDS. Congress should closely examine the program and recalibrate it to its intended purpose: eradicating the scourge of HIV/AIDS in the developing world.
