WASHINGTON – A program designed to stop HIV/AIDS that’s saved millions of lives is up for renewal by Congress, but its future is unknown. That’s because some lawmakers fear this historic, life-saving program is being hijacked to spread a liberal agenda abroad.
Each year, America offers billions of dollars in aid around the world, but one program in particular has returned remarkable results. U.S. taxpayers have saved a generation of Africans through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief or PEPFAR created by President George W. Bush 21 years ago.
At the time, HIV infected 30 million Africans and 14 million children had lost their parents to the disease. In some regions, life expectancy had fallen by 20 years before PEPFAR reversed the tide.
“It has saved over 25 million lives, prevented HIV AIDS transmissions from affecting 5.5 million children,” said John Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS coordinator.
Those extraordinary numbers make the program wildly popular both abroad and here at home.
“PEPFAR has enjoyed the bipartisan support in no less than eight U.S. Congresses,” explained Peter Barlerin, former U.S. ambassador to Cameroon.
Today, however, PEPFAR faces an uncertain future as its five-year reauthorization is overdue and some conservative lawmakers and pro-life
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