General Discussion

Celerity

(47,553 posts) Tue Jan 28, 2025, 06:00 PM Tuesday

Trump Proves the Cruelty Is the Point With HIV Funding Move

Donald Trump’s decision to halt all HIV/AIDS funding contains some especially callous details.

https://newrepublic.com/post/190773/trump-hiv-aids-funding

https://archive.ph/kRoSj

The Donald Trump administration has stopped a program that distributes an anti-HIV drug in poor countries. The halt is part of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid last week, and instructs organizations overseas to stop distributing HIV medications bought with U.S. aid, even if they have already been acquired and have made it to local clinics. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PREPFAR, started by George W. Bush, is part of the freeze, even though it’s credited with saving over 25 million lives since it began.

Last week, the administration stopped PREPFAR’s funding from moving to clinics, hospitals, and other organizations around the world. Now appointments are being canceled with patients being denied access to clinics. HIV patients’ ongoing treatment has come to a stop. And in this atmosphere of chaos, federal government officials have been ordered by the White House not to speak with partners outside of government, fueling worry and confusion.

In addition, U.S. officials were told not to speak with their counterparts in foreign governments’ ministries of health, which could lead to worsening relations overseas. All of this follows an order issued to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sunday night to stop all communications with the World Health Organization, including being present in the same real or digital meeting rooms.

Officials around the world were told that PREPFAR’s data systems would shut down at 6 p.m. EST Monday, shutting off access to all data sets, reports, and analytical tools. The program’s official website has been taken down, although the State Department’s PREPFAR website is still up as of Tuesday morning.