SUMMARY
A new report is detailing the impact of cuts to USAID and the program known as PEPFAR, which has been credited with saving over 26 million lives since 2003. The study from the HIV/AIDS non-profit amfAR found that more than 1,700 treatment sites have closed in the wake of funding cuts. William Brangham discussed more with Dr. Atul Gawande, the assistant administrator of USAID under President Biden.
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WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- What is PEPFAR? Which President established the program in 2003?
- How many countries and organizations did amfAR look at for their study?
- How many treatment sites have closed? What services did they provide that they no longer can offer patients in need?
- What other factors for preventing HIV/AIDS are essential beyond treatment of current patients?
- How is the State Department describing this crisis?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- In the video, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said that: “The question is no longer whether we can end AIDS. The question is whether we choose to end AIDS. The end is no longer limited by science. It's limited by inequality, by political choices.” What are the risks of continued inaction? How can the political aspect of the issue be removed, if at all?
- Dr. Atul Gawande discusses how President Trump’s goal to defeat HIV/AIDS by 2030 was seen as crazy during his first term, but that science has advanced to the point where that’s a possibility. What does this say about the role that the U.S. has had in being a world leader against HIV/AIDS?
Media literacy: The State Department’s response emphasized the inaccuracy of the amfAR study, saying that resources are still being delivered, just in a different way. But with PEPFAR’s broader impact since 2003, what message does it send to dismantle that established pathway? What could it signal to other countries about U.S. willingness to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Over time and across presidential administrations, priorities shift. Since 2003, PEPFAR and USAID have been funded and able to help people around the world, something that’s changed in the past couple of years. Look at the PEPFAR websites in 2026 and 2023 and compare them. In doing so, students should consider the following questions:
- Three years separate the two links, what looks different between the two sites?
- Consider how defunding PEPFAR and dismantling USAID affects what information is available about the program and the U.S. fight against HIV/AIDS. How important is it to maintain a steady flow of information from an agency and program that has been a leader in HIV/AIDS prevention?
Written by Alyssa Tinoco, News Hour Classroom intern, and PBS News Hour's Vic Pasquantonio
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