Funding for AIDS relief program to stop after foreign aid pause ordered

The foreign aid pause ordered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio will cause a stoppage of funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, as soon as Monday, according to two sources. This could interrupt the provision of anti-viral medications (ARVs) for millions.

It is not clear whether local stockpiles of the drugs can make up for any delivery shortfalls that could occur during the pause, the sources said.

While funding could be turned back on pending the outcome of a 90-day review, there is also growing concern among advocates that congressional support for PEPFAR is in peril due to a revelation earlier this month that groups receiving aid performed abortions, a violation of U.S. law.

Reuters reported that four nurses in Mozambique had performed 21 abortions since 2021. That revelation may also be part of the upcoming State Department review. 

The State Department administers the PEPFAR program which began under the George W. Bush administration and is credited with saving millions of lives all over the world. It provides billions in funding to organizations to combat HIV and currently provides ARVs to more than 20 million people across 55 countries, according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

President Trump issued an executive order triggering a 90-day review of U.S. foreign aid programs. CBS News obtained a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) memo sent Saturday that says the foreign aid pause “means a complete halt” with limited exceptions.

Mr. Trump told reporters Saturday he would like other countries to spend more on foreign aid. 

“We’re like a one-way street so we want other people to help us and we want other people to join us. We are spending billions and billions and billions of dollars and other countries that are wealthy are spending zero,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.  “Why should we be the only ones?

In a public letter addressed to Rubio on Friday, Reps. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Lois Frankel, Ranking Member of the House National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote “United States foreign assistance programs promote stability in other countries to help stop crises from expanding directly to our doorstep.”

“Foreign assistance is not a handout; it is a strategic investment in our future that is vital for U.S. global leadership and a more resilient world,” they added. “It directly serves our national interests and demonstrates our credibility to allies, partners, and vulnerable people who rely on American assistance for survival.” 

Camilla Schick

contributed to this report.