Opinion: We tried to quantify the impact of abrupt PEPFAR cuts. The results startled even us

In May 2023, about a year before the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief was up for congressional renewal, a Heritage Foundation report alleged that PEPFAR funding was being secretly used for abortions by recipients as a part of a systematic, covert agenda endorsed by U.S. counterparts. Separately, concerns about insufficient commitment to the efficient use of U.S. taxpayer dollars in foreign aid were growing, despite efforts within organizations administering foreign aid to evaluate, strengthen, and streamline services.

PEPFAR has been a key component of global health since it was founded by President George W. Bush in 2003. Amid the new criticisms of the program, many of us working in global health wondered: Do people really understand what would happen if funding were abruptly stopped? Do members of the U.S. Congress have the data they need?

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