Republicans Look to Redirect Global AIDS Relief Funding Diverted by Biden to Support Abortion Promotion

The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief is supposed to be a major lifesaving program from the United States to the world. Under then-President Joe Biden, however, it was used to promote abortion abroad.

Now, Republicans in Congress are seeking to remove the PEPFAR’s promotion of abortion through its sponsorship of organizations that support the procedure abroad and through greater safeguards to prevent the funding from illegally going to abortion.

Today, PEPFAR is the largest health program for a single disease in the world, and it now costs American taxpayers more than $6 billion per year to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment abroad. Since its inception in 2003, U.S. taxpayers have spent $110 billion on PEPFAR, saving the lives of an estimated 26 million people through HIV/AIDs prevention. 

Under the Biden administration, however, PEPFAR funding was misdirected to promote abortion abroad.

In a State Department policy brief, the Biden administration declared that, “Where possible, PEPFAR will integrate HIV programming into strengthened public health systems to manage tuberculosis, high burden non-communicable diseases, sexual reproductive health, rights and services (i.e., sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, HIV prevention and testing, gender-based violence support), as well as other local health priorities that impact [people living with human immunodeficiency virus]–to protect HIV/AIDS gains and strengthen health and economic outcomes.” 

Another State Department guidance said, “PEPFAR should work particularly with multilateral, foundation, and private sector donors to partner in the provision of economic and educational opportunities, and with government partners, to incorporate evidence-based interventions into local structures, such as schools and with organizations advocating for structural, systemic, and institutional reforms in law and policy regarding sexual, reproductive, and economic rights of women.”

Translation: PEPFAR should work to overturn anti-abortion laws in other countries.

When Biden rescinded the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits federal funding from going to NGOs that advocate for abortion through referrals and advocacy, a week after taking office in January 2021, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima cheered the move.

“Rescinding the [‘Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance,’ the formal name of the Mexico City Policy] is a strong demonstration of the new United States Administration’s commitment to supporting women to claim their rights and to access sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services,” Byanyima said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with the new United States Administration to ensure that all women and girls can exercise their human rights and get the sexual and reproductive health information and services they want and need.”

As the Trump administration has paused foreign aid, Republican members of Congress are calling for reform of the implementation of the PEPFAR before it is reauthorized.

New revelations in January found that PEPFAR money had actually been used to fund at least 21 abortions in contravention of federal policy that specifically prohibits such use. The money was subsequently refunded, but the fact that such a lapse happened came as no surprise to opponents of reauthorizing the funding under the Biden administration.

Reacting to the revelations, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a press statement, “It is disgusting that the Biden Administration has allowed U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used to perform abortions overseas. This is not only illegal, it cuts against deeply held American values.”

“The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] must be investigated for its misuse of PEPFAR funds, and those who have violated long-standing U.S. laws that protect life must be held accountable. This violation means that the future of the PEPFAR program is certainly in jeopardy. I will not support one dollar of American money going towards abortion anywhere in the world, and I will do all I can to ensure this never happens again.”

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a co-chair of the House Pro-life Caucus, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the writing had been on the wall when Biden came into office about entwining PEPFAR with far-left ideological goals.

“[Biden] reversed the Mexico City Policy as he came into office. Biden made it clear with guidance that was beyond a doubt, that he wanted the [nongovernmental organizations], the recipients of U.S. funds, to aggressively push the sexual reproductive health and rights, the abortion issue, and other woke agendas,” Smith said, adding: “I think we see the consortium of all these NGOs in these countries … integrating [sexual and reproductive health and rights] into everything they do.”

Smith has proven prescient on the issue. In 2024, as reauthorizing PEPFAR funding was being debated,  he warned about PEPFAR weaponization against the unborn. Nevertheless, after fierce debate, PEPFAR was ultimately reauthorized by Congress for a year.

PEPFAR funding, however, is set to expire on March 25. It’s an open question as to whether Republicans, now fully in control of government, reauthorize the program. Newly installed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 25 issued a temporary freeze on all foreign aid, including PEPFAR, pending a review of its usage. Three days later, Rubio issued a waiver that freed up funding for “lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” releasing some PEPFAR funding. 

The Daily Signal previously reported that NGOs receiving PEPFAR funding were supporting abortion. They include the Population Council and Population Services International, which collectively received more than $90 million in funding during 2021 and 2022.

In March, Republican officials in the executive and legislative branches will have to weigh the lifesaving care provided by the program with their ability to hold program administrators to account for actions that violate the trust of the American people.

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