Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives advanced a narrow vision of the U.S. government’s interests and obligations for providing global health assistance in a hearing Tuesday.
Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida and chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned why it is in the U.S. government’s interest to provide billions of dollars in funding to fight AIDS in sub-Saharan African countries when their governments frequently vote against U.S. positions at the United Nations.
“These were some of the biggest recipients of PEPFAR, and they were giving the United States of America the least amount of support,” Mast said, referring to the flagship international HIV program that has saved an estimated 25 million lives since 2003.