The United States government might have avoided a shutdown last weekend, but it did not manage to resolve a debate over PEPFAR, the U.S. global AIDS initiative credited with saving 25 million lives over the last 20 years.
PEPFAR’s authorizing legislation expired when the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, and lawmakers continue to wage a battle over abortion politics that has put the initiative’s future in jeopardy.
PEPFAR can continue its work in the meantime, but many fear that if this historically bipartisan effort fails to secure a five-year legal authorization — which has been the practice so far — it risks getting dragged into the relentless politics of America’s dysfunctional annual budget process. All of this would send a harmful message to America’s partners in the fight to end AIDS by 2030, PEPFAR’s supporters argue.