- United States
- Va.
- Letter
Restore PEPFAR funding for South Africa immediately. The Trump administration's plan to permanently end this program would abandon 8 million people living with HIV — the largest such population in the world. Experts are calling this move "catastrophic," and they're right. Cutting off treatment doesn't make HIV disappear; it causes a cascading resurgence that will cost far more to contain later.
PEPFAR has delivered over $8 billion to South Africa since President George W. Bush created it. That investment has saved lives, built health infrastructure, and demonstrated American leadership at its best. Whatever policy disagreements exist with Pretoria, they do not justify a death sentence for millions of patients who depend on this funding to survive. Humanitarian aid is not a bargaining chip. Please act now to block this termination and protect PEPFAR's mission.