In reaction to Trump’s proposed budget plan, Matthew Zinck writes a letter to the Boston Globe discussing the implications of such a plan. He moves on to describe the impact PEPFAR has had on global health and the need to keep funding it (as well as many other global health programs).
IT HAS been widely reported that President Trump’s proposed budget will include massive increases in military spending and devastating cuts to domestic and State Department programs. While it seems that Trump is trying to follow through on his promise of an “America first” policy, cuts to foreign aid have the opposite effect.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, initiated by President George W. Bush in 2003, provided treatment to 11.5 million people living with HIV and preventive care and testing to nearly 75 million worldwide last year alone. In addition to this life-saving impact, PEPFAR, which falls under the State Department, is good for national security and US business interests by promoting good will and contributing to economic and governance stability in Africa and beyond.
PEPFAR is considered one of the greatest bipartisan success stories. There is already emerging bipartisan condemnation of potential cuts to PEPFAR and other foreign aid, including from GOP Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham. I urge Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to work with their colleagues across the aisle to protect PEPFAR and other foreign aid funding, and I ask my fellow constituents to call our representatives to voice support.
The original publication from March 2nd, 2017 in the Boston Globe can be seen here.