Protesters Disrupt USAID Hearing Over AIDS Funding, Misunderstand Policy Changes

Demonstrators criticized the Trump administration despite PEPFAR funding being restored under a humanitarian waiver.

Protesters interrupted a USAID hearing, demanding the restoration of funding for the PEPFAR AIDS relief program, unaware that funding had already been reinstated under a waiver.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) criticized the protesters for their lack of awareness, emphasizing that PEPFAR funding remains active to provide life-saving HIV treatments globally.
PEPFAR, credited with saving millions of lives, was temporarily impacted by Trump's 90-day foreign aid freeze but was quickly exempted to ensure continued access to critical HIV medications.
The Trump administration's broader foreign aid freeze has led to disruptions in global health initiatives, with health experts warning of potential setbacks in combating HIV/AIDS.
UNAIDS estimates that a failure to maintain global HIV treatment efforts could result in millions of AIDS-related deaths and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the virus.