As the global freeze on U.S. foreign aid continues, a limited set of lifesaving health programs are being granted exceptions — but with significant restrictions and unanswered questions about how they’ll be implemented.
Last week, some programming under the U.S. President’s Emergency Relief for Aids Relief, or PEPFAR, which provides lifesaving HIV medication, was granted a waiver. Devex obtained a copy of waiver guidance for other types of global health programming, including for tuberculosis, malaria, acute risks of maternal and child mortality, severe acute malnutrition, and other life-threatening diseases and health conditions.
The memo sent by Nicholas Enrich, acting assistant administrator for the Bureau for Global Health, to the agency’s chief of staff and deputy staff, stated that the bureau is “taking steps to resume or continue activities” deemed lifesaving. But Enrich added this only includes a “limited subset” of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
