Trump Pauses Disbursements to Program Supplying H.I.V. Treatment Worldwide

[ificandream]

Source: New York Times (gift article/no paywall)

By Apoorva Mandavilli
Jan. 24, 2025, 3:35 p.m. ET

The Trump administration has halted disbursement of funds from a program that supplies most of the treatment for H.I.V. in Africa and developing countries worldwide for at least 90 days.

The action stems from President Trump’s executive order on foreign aid, which directs all government divisions with foreign development assistance programs to stop disbursing funds to countries and organizations until they can be reviewed.

That includes the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as Pepfar, a $7.5 billion program overseen by the State Department, officials were told in a memo on Wednesday obtained by The New York Times.

In a separate directive on Friday, also viewed by The Times, officials were informed that although the initial review of foreign aid is intended to be completed within 85 days, final decisions might take up to 180 days.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/politics/trump-hiv-aids-pepfar.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rk4.5TVd._-zAz0Ih0-ZB&smid=url-share

[jls4561]

1. Translation: Orange Assmouth suspends all programs that might show we give a damn.

I suppose he’s keeping the funds for the “Preserve sMelania’s kidneys” fund.

[Vinca]

2. That's just evil.

[Lovie777]

3. Other countries will compensate.....

USA scientists will do well in other parts of the world and will continue to do good for the people of the world, while the USA falls short.

[live love laugh]

12. I hope you're right.

[TommyT139]

18. Different programs

This isn't about the research cutoffs. This is finding for PEPFAR, which provides drugs to treat HIV/AIDS. The program was started by Bush, and has been very very successful.

Antiretroviral therapy (often daily pills) keeps the HIV virus level low in the body. Keeping viral levels suppressed, that is, "undetectable," means that the disease doesn't progress, and furthermore, that HIV cannot be passed on to sexual partners (or babies through breast milk). The shorthand for this is "U=U" -- Undetectable equals untransmittable.

Here are numbers from the pro ably-gone-soon HIV.gov site:

Across 55 countries, PEPFAR is supporting life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 20.6 million people, including 566,000 children with HIV, as of September 30, 2024.

This decision is a death sentence for many of those people.

[VMA131Marine]

4. Has China cut back on its foreign aid programs?

Asking for a friend …

[AZLD4Candidate]

17. chinese doesn't have foreign aid programs. it has debt trap programs for foreigners called the belt and road initaitve.

[femmedem]

5. It's as if he bases every decision on how he can do the most harm in the least amount of time. n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

6. His desire is to kill off all POC and anybody not making $1 million a year.

[0rganism]

7. Thus opening the door to further Chinese influence in Africa

It's not like those drugs will disappear, they'll just be supplied from different sources by different payors. Good job, assholes, way to trash what little global goodwill we have left.

[Trueblue Texan]

13. I think voters did that already. nt

[TommyT139]

19. Who??

PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, enabled by strong bipartisan support across ten U.S. congresses and four presidential administrations, and through the American people’s generosity.

From HIV.gov

Even if another country could come up with the funding, med sourcing, and infrastructure, the gap in medication access will result in thousands of death and a rise in HIV rates.

[sakabatou]

8. There is no bottom when it comes to Dump

[Astraea]

9. What an evil shit.

This is evil. Just pure evil.

[electric_blue68]

10. The Cruelty Factor just keeps Increasing! Bastard!

[ancianita]

11. We can trust his claims of "temporary" as much as we trusted his "infrastructure week."

Corporate stenographer media will happily pass along the official line.

[louis-t]

14. Who will review them?

The inexperienced, ass-kissing imbeciles he puts in all those gubmint jobs? What could possibly go wrong?

[mahina]

15. Shame!

[NoMoreRepugs]

16. Literally they are collectively the WORST people in the WORLD.

[Skittles]

21. Trump is a Putin stooge

all bets are off

[pfitz59]

22. No disbursements without Trump's 'baksheesh'.

simple corruption