Danish author Hans Christian Andersen lived in a different age, but the truth behind his fables is as relevant as ever. “The Emperor’s New Clothes” tells the story of two swindlers who convince the emperor that they’ve woven garments only the wise can see. No one wants to admit the obvious — that the emperor is naked — until a child blurts out, “The emperor has no clothes!” Sometimes, the naked truth must be told.
There are swindlers at work on Capitol Hill. They would have you believe that if a single dollar is cut from PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — children will die. However, the truth exposes their narrative for what it is — a falsehood.
The Trump administration’s rescissions package proposes reclaiming $400 million of the $7.1 billion allocated to PEPFAR last year, a reduction of just under 6%. This minor cut has sparked an outsized reaction from activists and lawmakers, despite growing evidence that PEPFAR has drifted far from its original mission.
And here is what is being cut:
- Dance focus groups;
- Global movements to strengthen the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer causes;
- LGBTQI advocacy in Uganda;
- Pastry cooking for male prostitutes;
- Funding for the Lesbian Justice Foundation in Canada.
Why stop at 6%?
Created in 2003 under President George W. Bush as an emergency response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, PEPFAR was meant to:
- Deliver lifesaving HIV/AIDS drugs;
- Prevent new infections through abstinence, being faithful, and condom use (the “ABC” model);
- Support care for the affected;
- Build sustainable healthcare systems by training local providers;
- And partner with faith-based and community organizations.
But under recent administrations, PEPFAR has been co-opted to promote abortion access and LGBTQ ideology abroad — violating the values of many of its original supporters. The Biden administration even sought to “reimagine” PEPFAR’s strategic direction to further these agendas.
The program, originally authorized at $1.5 billion annually, has ballooned to over $6.5 billion a year. It has been reauthorized four times — with a fifth, one-year extension last year. That’s a 300% increase since inception, and nearly $120 billion spent in total.
PEPFAR has become a global industry. Just ask Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, an organization that receives 60% of its $500 million budget from PEPFAR. When news of potential cuts broke, Byanyima told The Guardian she was “devastated,” “appalled,” and needed therapy to cope.
Therapy should be readily available with her quarter of a million-dollar salary.
Add to that the chorus of uninformed celebrities and media figures parroting the same talking points, and you get the full picture: Anyone who questions PEPFAR’s funding is labeled callous or even unchristian.
It’s time Congress stopped conforming to the lies. PEPFAR doesn’t just need trimming — it needs reform. And that includes a plan to accomplish one of its founding goals: build sustainable health care systems so that PEPFAR can be responsibly phased out.
