On Saturday, February 1, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world’s leading HIV initiative, is exempt from the 90-day suspension of foreign aid under a waiver for life-saving humanitarian assistance.
President Donald Trump ordered the temporary halt in foreign aid on January 20, just hours after taking office, to review contributions and assess their alignment with his “America First” foreign policy. The United States remains the world’s largest aid donor.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially granted a waiver for emergency food aid and later, on Tuesday, extended it to cover life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and other essential humanitarian support. However, the broad language of Trump’s directive, along with the subsequent waivers, created uncertainty among aid organizations regarding the scope of permitted activities.
To address these concerns, the State Department’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy issued a memo on Saturday—reviewed by Reuters—clarifying that PEPFAR falls under the exemptions outlined in the January 28 memorandum. The document explicitly details the approved activities, which include:
- HIV care and treatment services, including testing and counseling
- Prevention and treatment of infections such as tuberculosis (TB)
- Laboratory services
- Procurement and supply chain management for medical commodities and medicines
- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
“Any other activities not specifically mentioned in this guidance may not be resumed without express approval,” the memo states.
PEPFAR currently provides direct support to more than 20 million people living with HIV worldwide, representing two-thirds of all individuals receiving treatment for the disease.
Under the foreign aid suspension, all payments from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were halted on Tuesday for the first time since the fiscal year began on October 1 and have not resumed, according to U.S. Treasury data. USAID disbursed $8 million on Monday and a total of $545 million last week before the freeze took effect.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly considering restructuring USAID by reducing its independence and placing it under the control of the State Department. Two sources familiar with the discussions indicated on Friday that this move would mark a significant shift in how Washington oversees and distributes U.S. foreign aid.
(Reuters)
