Recently, the House passed H.R. 6651, bipartisan legislation which extends the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – the most successful U.S. assistance program since the Marshall Plan. It’s proof that in a divided age, we can still make progress that can change lives.
Since its inception in 2003, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has received strong bipartisan support in Congress and through three administrations, Republican and Democrat.
Working in over 50 countries, PEPFAR has transformed the global HIV/AIDS response. PEPFAR supports 14 million people with lifesaving antiretroviral treatment and has tested more the 85 million for HIV since 2003. This is compared with only 50,000 people who were on treatment in sub-Saharan Africa when PEPFAR began.
With PEPFAR support, more than 2.2 million babies have been born HIV-free to pregnant women living with HIV and their mothers have been kept healthy and alive to protect and nurture them. PEPFAR also provides assistance to more than 6.4 million orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers.
I saw the miracle of this program firsthand when I traveled to Rwanda with Bono in 2015. It was a moving experience, and the people of Africa are so grateful to the United States for our support.
This program is successful because it is inclusive. PEPFAR is led and managed by the U.S. Department of State's Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy and implemented by seven U.S. government departments and agencies, leveraging the power of a whole-of-government approach to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Additionally, multiple departments and agencies work alongside private sector partners, non-profits, faith communities – allowing programs to maximize resources and results. Thanks to PEPFAR, the U.S. is world’s leader in responding to the global HIV and AIDS crisis.
PEPFAR continues to expand its impact through transparent, accountable, and cost-effective investments. Thanks to the success of PEPFAR, stopping this disease is within reach. We are on the brink of achieving an AIDS-free generation, a great accomplishment that’s possible only because of bipartisan American leadership. That’s something that we should all take pride in.
Sincerely,
Kay Granger
Member of Congress