Before Donald Trump’s funding cuts, the fight against AIDS was going reasonably well. Now, there could be up to 6m new HIV infections and 4m deaths by 2029, according to UNAIDS. But new ideas and technology may offer a way forward https://t.co/7qpty0fayHPhoto: Gulshan Khan/New York Times/Redux/Eyevine ...

Donald Trump’s foreign aid cuts gave the international AIDS establishment the shock of its life. But after an earthquake, you don’t re-erect the same fallen structure; you build a different one https://t.co/qLnfVdU7Wn ...

The UN program overseeing the fight against AIDS is urging countries to step up with support to fight the disease as the Trump administration pulls back https://t.co/nel4Vr7YWG ...

Program Impact & Criticism - PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has saved 26 million lives since 2003 [3] - The potential dismantling of PEPFAR could lead to over 3 million deaths by the end of the decade, and the shuttering of USAD (United States Agency for International Development) could result in 14 million deaths [5] - The executive order 14169 led to the deaths of more than 80,000 people [5] - The program was considered efficient, accountable, and had bipartisan support [3][4] Evangelical Response - The silence of evangelicals regarding the diminishing of PEPFAR is a central point of concern [6] - Some pastors were unaware of the situation, while others cited focus on local ministries or fear of politicizing the church as reasons for their silence [10][11][12] - The lack of widespread evangelical outcry contrasts sharply with the swift backlash against World Vision's policy change regarding same-sex couple employment [14][15] Ethical & Moral Implications - The decision to cut programs that save lives is viewed as a clear violation of Jesus's teachings [7][8][13] - The act is described as intentionally malicious and cruel, especially considering the program's relatively small cost to the US government [4][6] - The situation is framed as a moral test for the evangelical community [15]

US Aid Impact & Challenges - US aid prevented 92 million deaths in 133 countries over 20 years (2001-2021), including 25 million from HIV/AIDS, 11 million from diarrheal diseases, 8 million from malaria, and 5 million from tuberculosis [2] - Gutting American aid is projected to cost millions of lives, impacting access to life-saving medicines and emergency food [3][4] - A historic drought in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia (2020-2023) put 40 million people on the path to humanitarian aid, with US taxpayers providing 70% of the necessary aid [9][10] - In 2022, US aid for the drought cost approximately $2 billion, or $6 per average American household [11] - Independent experts estimate that American aid prevented between 21% and 39% million deaths during the drought, half of whom would have been children under 5 [12] Waste & Inefficiency Concerns - Millions of vaccine doses donated to Sierra Leone were wasted due to the cancellation of a distribution program [5] - The current administration is contributing to waste despite claiming to target waste, fraud, and abuse [5] Communication & Perception - US Aid failed to effectively communicate the impact of American aid to the public, creating space for criticism and potential budget cuts [7] - The withdrawal of US aid raises concerns about who will fill the vacuum and the impact on the world's poorest populations [8][9]