The Fight Over AIDS-Relief Program PEPFAR Could Have Far-Reaching Consequences

Congress narrowly avoided—at least for now—a federal shutdown thanks to a stopgap funding bill approved on Sept. 30. But throughout the whirlwind of activity on Capitol Hill to keep the government running, the deadline passed to reauthorize a vital global health program that’s been credited over the last two decades with saving more than 25 million lives across some 50 countries. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The long-term prospects for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—launched in 2003 by President George W. Bush and reauthorized with broad bipartisan support in 2008, 2013, and 2018—are now uncertain. Reauthorization has become mired in a political fight over abortion as House Republicans seek to stop PEPFAR funding from going to organizations that offer abortion-related services, something the Democratic majority in the Senate strongly oppose.  In the meantime, health experts and administration officials warn that non-reauthorization will erode the program’s ability to purchase affordable care and weaken the U.S.’s role as a leader in global health. A State Department official tells TIME that the non-reauthorization will not “jeopardize PEPFAR’s operations” during fiscal year 2024, which ends on Sept. 30 next year: “PEPFAR has sufficient funding available to cover most PEPFAR-supported operations, pending timely completion of required Congressional no...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Congress Source Type: news