PEPFAR Reauthorization Letter to Congress

For the last couple of years, PEPFAR funding has relegated to only one year (which ends March 2025) because a small coterie of members of Congress have wrongly argued the funding supports abortions. Yet, the 1973 Helms amendment prohibits any foreign assistance funding from the US to go toward abortions. And, because PEPFAR only addresses HIV/AIDS, it has no correlation with abortion in any way, nor has it ever. This seems to all be irrelevant. 

 That said, a number of groups have decided to join in a unified front, including the ONE Campaign, National Association of Evangelicals, Christian Connections for International Health, World Relief, Catholic Relief Service, and others, to bring together faith leaders from across the nation to take a stand for a 5-year authorization of PEPFAR (this is the usual cycle we have done since Senator Bill Frist launched in 2003) with full funding. This would ensure five years of steady funding without fighting for it on an annual basis. 

We have sent this letter, and we are hoping for strong results with incoming Trump Administration.