Latest news with #President'sEmergencyPlanforAIDSRelief
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
The PEPFAR industry has launched a hysterical campaign against accountability
A major campaign is underway to overturn administration cuts to global HIV/AIDS funding, with claims that such cuts are killing millions of people, causing global turmoil, and advancing China's global agenda. That sounds grave. Fortunately, it's completely untrue. On Inauguration Day, the White House ordered a 90-day pause to review all U.S. foreign aid. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized some aid as 'counterproductive to American interests, wasting taxpayer money and provoking resentment abroad.' Rubio was right. Foreign aid had gone 'off the ideological rails' by supporting progressive agendas — something that has earned it the rebuke of Congress. The aid pause generated ire in proponents of the $6.5 billion annual President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR, a U.S. government program launched in 2003 when Africa faced an out-of-control AIDS epidemic. A powerful coalition of NGOs, churches, contractors, foundations, universities, and pharmaceutical companies have coalesced in a lobbying campaign to shame Republican legislators into rejecting any cuts to the program whatsoever. Only two months into the aid freeze, U2 rock star Bono claimed that '300,000 people have already died.' Bill Gates, a major global AIDS benefactor, warned of 'millions' dying if cuts are not reversed. UNAIDS predicts 4 million deaths per year by 2030. It gets worse. Former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios warned freezing aid 'is going to destabilize countries' and force them to go 'to China.' But all these charges are false claims, designed only to scare lawmakers into restoring their annual funding levels. It has been six months since the administration's review began, and there is no news from PEPFAR-funded countries that thousands have been dying from aid cuts. Nor have aid cuts caused global collapse. South Africa, the top PEPFAR recipient, declared, 'it is inconceivable …[that aid cuts] will lead to a collapse of the entire programme.' Under Trump, no African country has imploded. In contrast there were coups d'etat during the Biden administration. Instead, in a welcoming development, Africans are taking ownership to care for their own people and reduce dependency on foreign taxpayers. Equally absurd is the oft-repeated charge that cuts in global HIV funding will cause them to turn to China. In fact, 19 of the top 20 recipients of U.S. foreign aid were already members of China's Belt and Road Initiative before any of this. Among them, last year, Mozambique and Tanzania hosted joint military exercises with China's navy, and South Africa is the S in the BRICS alliance created by China in 2009 to undercut U.S. global leadership. These are three of the top four PEPFAR recipients. Clearly, these issues are unrelated. The real driver of this campaign is the foreign aid industry, which currently stands to lose billions in taxpayer funding. Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives recently ripped the foreign aid industry for its high overhead charges, which sometimes exceed 50 percent of their total grants. Republican lawmakers considering this manufactured hysteria must be made to understand that 98 percent of political donations from the PEPFAR industry go to Democrats. Know that a big chunk of that $6.5 billion annual congressional gift is being used against your re-election campaign. The Gates Foundation's global AIDS work is admirable, but it relies on large U.S. government co-financing. Aid advocate ONE Campaign, founded by Bono a year after PEPFAR's launch, received $40 million from the Gates Foundation. Forty percent of UNAIDS budget is covered by the U.S. government. PEPFAR is big business and a career to many. PEPFAR has also saved millions of lives. But it is an emergency program— that's what the 'E' in PEPFAR stands for — created in response to a crisis in Africa. Twenty-three years and $125 billion later, some would have it become a global entitlement program in perpetuity. Like so many entitlement programs, domestic and foreign, PEPFAR spending spawned an industry heavily vested in its self-perpetuation that is now rife with waste, fraud and abuse. Last month, the U.S. Embassy in Zambia announced $50 million in aid cuts after finding that HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria drug donations had been systematically pilfered by government officials for years and resold by corrupt pharmacies. In 2020, USAID found large-scale fraud by Kenya's state-run medical supplies company involving hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of antiretroviral drugs. The Global Fund against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria is similarly dogged by corruption scandals. During these scandals PEPFAR lobby did not issue a single peep about thousands dying as a result. And add government incompetence to the mix as well. Recently, a $9.5 billion global health supply chain contract, intended to be the U.S. government's backbone to support poor countries, collapsed after years of planning. Now, no system exists to maximize delivery efficiencies of billions of dollars' worth of medicine. Last year, the U.S. Center for Disease Control reported that PEPFAR funds illegally funded abortions in Mozambique, confirming African leaders' accusations of widespread abuse. That prompted PEPFAR supporter Senator Jim Risch to fume, 'this violation means the future of the PEPFAR program is certainly in jeopardy.' Thankfully, PEPFAR has also created an African cadre of experts that can operate HIV programs themselves—without the bureaucratic bloat of the PEPFAR industry. By working directly with African churches, which are the core of medical care in Africa (as in the U.S.), Congress could cut PEPFAR's cost by half, improve delivery effectiveness through local partners, and empower Africans to take ownership of a program that should be transitioned to them anyway. That is the PEPFAR industry's worst-case scenario. Max Primorac is a Senior Research Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘Real reason Bill Gates is unhappy is …', says Elon Musk as Microsoft founder again raises alarm on USAID funding cut killing children
Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently shared a post on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) stating how health aid cuts by the US government will 'cost lives'. 'The facts are simple and devastating: Aid cuts have already cost lives, and the number of deaths will continue to rise,' Gates wrote, adding 'ending PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)-supported programs for people living with HIV could result in an additional 4.2 million deaths by 2029'. Though the post doesn't name Elon Musk , the Tesla CEO hit back with a sharp response to Gates. X user named John Hawkins responded to Gates' post stating: 'Bro, you are worth 117 billion dollars. If you really think aid cuts are costing lives, feel free to make up the difference.' Musk agreed with him, replying 'Exactly". But the tech billionaire did not stop there. He continued: 'The real reason Gates is unhappy is that HIS organization isn't getting billions in US taxpayer money anymore.' Feud between Musk and Gates by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Notably, this is not the first time that Musk has taken a jab at Bill Gates. Last year in December, he said that Gates might go bankrupt if Tesla becomes 'the world's most valuable company by far'. In an X post then, Musk said 'If Tesla does become the world's most valuable company by far, that short position will bankrupt even Bill Gates'. The animosity between Elon Musk and Bill Gates originates from Gates' reported short position against Tesla stock. According to Walter Isaacson's 2023 biography of Musk, this position allegedly cost Gates a $1.5 billion loss. Short position here refers to a stock market strategy where an investor borrows shares of a stock they do not own, sells them on the open market, and aims to buy them back later at a lower price. The goal is to profit from a decline in the stock's price. OPPO Find X8 Ultra Review: Camera Powerhouse with Next-Gen Imaging!
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Tilly Brouwer retires after 21 years at St Francis
After over two decades at the helm of the St Francis Care Centre, Tilly Brouwer (76) is retiring on May 30. A pillar of strength during some of the darkest days of the HIV/Aids epidemic, the Cinderella resident leaves behind a legacy of compassion, courage and unwavering commitment to the most vulnerable in society. When Tilly joined the centre in July 2004, South Africa was facing the full brunt of the HIV pandemic. 'Back then, there was no medication available. People came to us to 30 to 40 deaths per month in the adult unit, the centre became a place where families found dignity in death and solace in sorrow.' Just months into her tenure, everything changed when St Francis became a beneficiary of PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). 'That was a turning point. We could screen, test, counsel, and start people on antiretroviral treatment. The change in patients was incredible.' Tilly recalls the centre's first day of offering antiretroviral treatment, September 1, 2004, as a cold, rainy day. 'An aunt brought her niece, who was on death's doorstep, to us. She had accepted she was going to die, but we started her on treatment and almost 21 years later, she was alive and thriving. 'We come from a time when HIV was a death sentence to where it is now seen as a chronic condition – manageable and treatable.' Under Tilly's guidance, St Francis evolved from an HIV-focused facility into a fully fledged palliative care centre, serving patients with any life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses. 'We expanded to palliative care in its true form – focused on pain relief, comfort, and dignity at the end of life.' The centre's children's ward, Rainbow Cottage, has also been close to Tilly's heart. They serve children from birth to six years, many abandoned, orphaned or abused. Father Stan Working alongside the late Father Stan Brennan, founder of the centre, was a highlight of Tilly's career. 'He was a man of vision. If he saw a need, he addressed it. Father Stan had a wonderful sense of humour and he taught me sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.' Tilly recalls one example of this approach when she sent a nurse to Rio de Janeiro to escort a South African woman home after she had been imprisoned for drug trafficking. 'She was HIV positive, desperately ill and had nobody else. We brought her back, reconciled her with her children and she was baptised before passing away peacefully. That is what St Francis is about.' Another of Tilly's proudest achievements has been securing funding for the centre, often from international donors and the national lottery. 'We had to work hard to keep the lights on. But we never turned a patient away because they could not pay. That was a promise I made to Father Stan.' Despite the weight of leadership, Tilly always believed in empowering her team and maintaining stability. On entering retirement, Tilly said the transition is daunting but exciting. She plans to split her time between South Africa and Australia, where two of her children and three of her 10 grandchildren live. 'I will travel, but will always keep an eye on St Francis. Father Stan's legacy must be honoured.' Her advice to her successor: 'Stay focused on the mission. Advocate fiercely, especially for the children. They cannot speak for themselves. When I look into their eyes, I always hear: 'What are you doing about my future?'' Also Read: New chairperson for St Francis Care Centre Also Read: Hillcrest crushes St Francis in dominant festival performance At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Eyewitness News
Budget 3.0: Some political parties worried about non-allocation of funds for SA's HIV programme
JOHANNESBURG - Concerns have been raised by some political parties over the government not allocating money to cover the shortfall of using USAID. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump suspended the president's emergency plan for AIDS relief, also known as PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). As one of the many countries that receive aid through PEPFAR, the suspension left South Africa's HIV fight efforts with a budgetary gap of more than R8 billion. ALSO READ: PEPFAR withdrawal a 'train smash' for thousands of workers, Motsoaledi tells NCOP During his budget speech on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said allocations to cover PEPFAR have not been made yet. United Democratic Movement (UDM) deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa says Godongwana is treating the budget as a statement of hope instead of making concrete plans. 'It means we are treating this budget like manna from heaven, we are going to pray and expect him to fall from heaven, that only happened during biblical times. That is why some of the expenditure items, which are very sticky, like providing funding for PEPFAR, have been deferred to a future point in time. He says once resources allow.' Democratic Alliance (DA) national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau says the party is hopeful President Cyril Ramaphosa's bilateral meeting with Trump today will result in the reinstatement of PEPFAR. 'We are obviously very worried because HIV is a very serious illness in this country, and we want to make sure the country is safe, and we want to have a healthy population. We also know today, the president of the country is engaging the US, and we will see what comes out of those engagements.'
Bloomberg
27-03-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Trump's Foreign Aid Retreat Guts Funding for HIV Treatments, Risking Lives Globally
Lucy Wambui first suspected she was HIV-positive in 2000, when her baby fell ill and died. At the time, treatment for the virus was too costly for many families in the Kenyan town where she lives, 120 miles from Nairobi. 'People used to sell their land to buy medicines,' she recalled. It wasn't until 2011 that she began antiviral therapy, thanks to free drugs available through the US-funded President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar.
