Republicans in the U.S. Senate have announced they will shield the U.S.-backed HIV/Aids program, PEPFAR, from proposed cuts amid a broader effort to reduce government spending.
Senators indicated they would abandon a plan to cut $400 million from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, leaving the total proposed cuts at $9 billion.
The proposition was introduced as a Senate amendment to a rescissions package, a bill allowing lawmakers to cancel previously approved funding by Congress. The planned cancellations also target funds for international aid and public broadcasting.
If the PEPFAR amendment is approved, the bill will return to the House of Representatives for another vote before a Friday deadline.
Numerous senators from both parties voiced concerns regarding cuts to PEPFAR, which was initiated under President George W. Bush and is credited with saving tens of millions of lives globally, particularly in Africa.
The Republican-controlled Senate can only afford a limited number of defections, assuming all Democrats vote in opposition. Senator John Thune, the Republican Senate majority leader, stated there had been “a lot of interest” in preserving PEPFAR funding.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, told reporters after a White House lunch on Tuesday that she was “very pleased” that the cuts would be removed.
Prior to the amendment, Collins had been vocal in her opposition to the bill. She has not yet indicated whether the changes are sufficient to secure her support.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought informed reporters that the White House supports the Senate amendment, suggesting that President Donald Trump would be willing to sign it in its current form.
During his second presidency, Trump has intensified efforts to reduce government spending. The majority of cuts in the rescission bill aim to reclaim funds previously allocated to USAID, the American government’s primary humanitarian assistance body, which recently announced its formal closure under Trump.
Trump’s actions have led to significant reductions in HIV/Aids clinics in South Africa and other countries, causing shortages of vital medicine and care.
The reversal was welcomed by Prof Helen Rees, an expert in HIV, vaccine-preventable diseases, and sexual health at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
“This is very good news,” she told the BBC.
“It’s obviously not replacing the totality of what PEPFAR was providing, but nonetheless, it indicates a softening of the views in the US and the importance to the members of the Senate of the PEPFAR program in terms of lives saved.”
She added that the sudden withdrawal of funding was “a huge threat to the lives of many people, particularly in lower-income countries and particularly in Africa.”
Other cuts in the rescission bill target funding for public broadcasters NPR and PBS.
Additional reporting by Ed Habershon in Johannesburg
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