Questions swirl about whether humanitarian aid waiver applies to PEPFAR

Will the U.S. State Department waiver for emergency humanitarian aid apply to PEPFAR and allow ongoing support for millions of people with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral medications? That question has been swirling around, with few answers amid confusing statements and news reports. PEPFAR, or the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has been credited with saving 25 million lives over the last 20 years. It supports about 20 million people around the world who are on antiretrovirals. The State Department issued a waiver for emergency humanitarian aid on Tuesday, allowing a limited number of foreign aid programs to continue or resume operations. The waiver includes “core life-saving medicine,” which sources say they hope will include antiretrovirals, but there is still no clarity or guidance thus far. Even PEPFAR itself is unsure about the implications, multiple sources told Devex. The New York Times, for example, reported that the waiver seemed to allow for PEPFAR to distribute HIV medications, which was a surprise because that hadn’t been confirmed, sources told Devex. UNAIDS also issued a statement that the waiver would allow people to continue accessing HIV treatment through PEPFAR. But these reports and statements have all come before any official confirmation from the State Department, sources tell Devex. The questions extend beyond PEPFAR. The Wall Street Journal reported that the State Department “reverses near-full stop of foreign aid” but sources tell Devex that they expect that the waiver will apply only to a narrow portion of foreign aid funding and programs. The reality remains that many foreign aid programs will remain suspended and under review, in accordance with the previous executive order on foreign aid pause and the State Department stop-work order.