TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO END PEPFAR FUNDING FOR HIV PROGRAMS IN SOUTH AFRICA OVER POLICY DISPUTES. (PHOTO).

 Trump administration plans to end PEPFAR funding for HIV programs in South Africa over policy disputes

The Trump administration plans to terminate U.S. funding for HIV initiatives in South Africa under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief due to deepening policy disagreements. The U.S. State Department is initiating a phased wind-down of financial support allocated to South Africa, which currently assists in caring for roughly 8 million people living with HIV.

Established in 2003 by former President George W. Bush, PEPFAR has partnered with health authorities in more than 50 countries over the last two decades. Official data indicates the program has saved an estimated 25 million lives and averted millions of new HIV infections globally. However, following his return to office, President Donald Trump targeted the initiative as part of broader administration efforts to reduce federal government spending, focusing heavily on South Africa, which houses the world's largest population of individuals living with the virus.

The administration began reducing its financial commitments following a February 2025 executive order, in which President Trump accused the South African government of permitting discrimination against white Afrikaners. State Department officials confirmed that the decision to implement a phased drawdown stems from South Africa's failure to make demonstrable progress on specific policy requests outlined by the administration.

Since the program's inception, the United States has channeled more than $8 billion to South Africa to provide medical care and distribute antiretroviral medications to prevent transmission. Despite this historical support, American funding to the nation has been cut in half during each of the last two years.

In response to the shifting landscape of international aid, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a partnership with pharmaceutical developer Gilead to launch Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly preventative HIV medication. Plans are underway to manufacture and distribute generic versions of the drug domestically.

Public health experts have expressed severe concern over the funding withdrawal, warning that terminating PEPFAR support could spark millions of new HIV infections worldwide and jeopardize two decades of global progress against the virus. Conversely, the Trump administration and its congressional allies maintain that the relief program was never intended to operate permanently and that a strategic drawndown is appropriate.