The White House’s decision to safeguard $400m in President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding to support the global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emergency provides “hope” to people living with the virus, the International Aids Society (IAS) has stated.
On 15 July, the US Senate advanced a bill to restore $400m to PEPFAR funding, reversing a proposed $9.4bn cut. The move reflected bipartisan concern, influenced largely by Republican Senator Susan Collins who publicly opposed the PEPFAR cuts on 4 June.
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Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told reporters that the White House is on board with the substitute amendment to the rescissions package.
The funding restoration comes as the IAS holds its annual conference in Kigali, Rwanda, from 13-17 July.
IAS President-Elect Kenneth Ngure emphasised the importance of the decision for the African continent.
“PEPFAR is a lifeline for communities across Africa,” he said. “Restoring this funding would mean hope for people living with and affected by HIV. But African leadership must remain at the centre of shaping our response, and we need to keep advancing conversations about sustainable financing – including stronger domestic investments and strategies to reduce dependence on global donors.”
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By GlobalDataIAS President Beatriz Grinsztejn highlighted PEPFAR as a major global achievement. “Global advocacy played a crucial role in persuading US lawmakers to protect this vital programme, reminding them that decisions about PEPFAR shape the health and futures of people around the world. Yet uncertainty remains, with ongoing threats to global health funding. We must stay vigilant.”
During the conference, a group of activists took to the stage at the IAS opening session to share their anger at funding cuts to HIV research. Activists chanted “we will not be erased” as they took to the stage, with several members of the group sharing their views and experiences as HIV patients from the LGBTQ+ community.
The conference states it is welcoming of protests and that it “endorses freedom of speech as an essential principle to end the HIV pandemic as a threat to public health”.
While this is welcome news for those involved in HIV treatment and research, the IAS highlighted that both the Senate and House must still vote on the final rescission package, and further changes could be reintroduced before the statutory deadline for action.
PEPFAR was launched under President George Bush in 2003, and by August 2024, it had provided $120bn of funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and research.
Other funding cuts, which were initiated shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, may continue through the Senate bill, with these having already impacted the research space.
Research, presented at the IAS 2025 conference, shows that HIV cases in low- and middle-income countries are already rising in the six months since the funding cuts first hit, with the topic of funding being central to the event’s agenda.
