Millions of Lives at Stake: Trump Halts AIDS Funding
Last updated on: 10 February 2025
President Trump has immediately frozen funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for 90 days. PEPFAR is the U.S. programme dedicated to combating HIV and AIDS. “The United States will no longer blindly hand out money without it benefiting the American people,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. As a result, all development aid has been halted with immediate effect.
This decision plunges the global HIV and AIDS response into an unprecedented crisis. By suspending funding, access to life-saving medication for millions of people is at risk of being abruptly cut off, leading to new infections and deaths.
Mark Vermeulen, director of Aidsfonds, warned: “The situation is extremely serious. Trump has suspended all senior health officials at USAID, the U.S. development agency. No one is allowed to communicate with the World Health Organization. Clinics that have received funding for HIV medication are no longer permitted to distribute those medications to patients. This is destroying years of progress in the fight against HIV.”
Halting PEPFAR is a strategic blunder. COVID taught us that epidemics do not respect borders
Mark Vermeulen, Director Aidsfonds
PEPFAR accounts for $7.5 billion in annual investments in the global AIDS response. While many countries have been able to increase their own financial contributions in recent years, many nations—especially in Sub-Saharan Africa—remain heavily dependent on PEPFAR. Without this funding, local organisations will be forced to shut down their operations. Since its inception, PEPFAR has provided life-saving care to over 25 million people across 54 countries.
Vermeulen, currently in Washington where he attended the Funders Concerned About AIDS summit, is working with other organisations to raise awareness on the global impact of this crisis. “Halting PEPFAR is a strategic blunder,” Vermeulen stated. “COVID taught us that epidemics do not respect borders. If we don’t do everything possible now to ensure that everyone with HIV receives proper care and medication, the price will be far higher in the future – both in human lives and healthcare costs.”
Aidsfonds announces call for applications for its Emergency Fund for HIV Response
Aidsfonds announces call for applications for its Emergency Fund for HIV Response
Aidsfonds set up an emergency fund for HIV response to support current and past Aidsfonds and Robert Carr Fund (RCF) grantees and partners. With the fund Aidsfonds aims to continue life-saving prevention and treatment for people living with HIV or vulnerable to HIV in response to the 90-day pause for all Unites States foreign assistance.
Global research: U.S. Freeze on HIV Funding Threatens Lives of Hundreds of Thousands
Global research: U.S. Freeze on HIV Funding Threatens Lives of Hundreds of Thousands
The recent decision by the U.S. government to halt the PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program for 90 days has catastrophic consequences for the global HIV response. To assess the impact of this crisis, Aidsfonds, GNP+, and the Robert Carr Fund conducted a survey among organisations and networks directly involved in HIV prevention and treatment. The results are alarming: 95% of respondents report being directly affected by these measures. More than half (57%) of the organisations estimate that this crisis will impact more than a million people.