PIH Denounces the US State Department Stop-Work Order on Foreign Aid Assistance

Partners In Health (PIH) strongly condemns the US State Department’s recent directive to immediately stop work on the majority of existing foreign aid programs following an executive order earlier in the week that paused any new aid for 90 days. This reckless halt threatens decades of progress in global health equity including the suspension of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been instrumental in combating HIV/AIDS worldwide for over 20 years. 

PEPFAR, a uniquely bipartisan program launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush, has been a cornerstone of global health, saving over 25 million lives and drastically reducing HIV transmission rates globally. Partners In Health is proud to have contributed to the design and implementation of PEPFAR, ensuring an approach that prioritized equitable access to antiretroviral therapy and robust health system strengthening was written into the plan. The program’s enduring success stands as a testament to the power of global solidarity and evidence-based care. 

The suspension disrupts the treatment for patients in over 50 countries who depend on life-saving antiretroviral medications and HIV prevention programs. "The most vulnerable, those who are already marginalized by poverty and systemic inequities, will unjustly bear the brunt of this decision. The halt not only puts millions of lives at risk right now but could fuel further HIV drug resistances, risking a resurgence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic—one of the deadliest in history," said Dr. Joia Mukherjee, PIH’s Chief Medical Officer.

PEPFAR is only one program of many. By stalling critical aid programs, the US is willfully endangering millions of lives and erasing years of progress. Partners In Health calls on the U.S. government to immediately reverse this decision and resume its commitment to global health equity.