Trump administration suspension of global HIV treatment program sparks chaos and fear of lost lives

A move by the Trump administration to freeze funding for the U.S.’s widely heralded international HIV/AIDS program is sowing uncertainty globally and putting countless lives at immediate risk, according to health care providers and global health researchers.

As a result of President Trump’s pause on foreign aid announced late last week, the program, known as PEPFAR, has been thrown into disarray. Some groups that receive funding as part of the program — which helps extend HIV treatment to some 20 million people globally, including more than 550,000 children — are halting the provision of medications even if they’re already on clinics’ shelves, according to experts.

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