Five prominent faith-based organizations are escalating pressure on the White House to disburse billions of dollars in HIV/AIDS prevention funding that Congress has already appropriated, warning that delays are costing lives.
In a letter addressed to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the groups called for the immediate release of full funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the vaccine alliance Gavi. The signatories include Bread for the World, the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.
“These funds are urgently needed now. Without them, children will die of preventable diseases, HIV+ mothers will infect their babies during childbirth, tuberculosis will spread: these are the ‘least of these’ to whom our Lord calls us to respond,” the groups wrote.
The appeal comes as the Trump administration has released only a fraction of the $6 billion Congress approved for PEPFAR, a flagship program credited with saving an estimated 26 million lives worldwide. The White House has repeatedly refused to allocate money to programs and agencies that Congress has already funded, sparking multiple legal battles since President Trump took office.
Vought’s reluctance to fully fund PEPFAR aligns with broader administration efforts to reduce U.S. contributions and shift financial responsibility to other nations. The White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request did not specify a funding level for PEPFAR, signaling a continued pullback.
The faith groups also sent a parallel letter to Senate appropriations leaders, urging them to “robustly” fund the same treatment and prevention programs for fiscal 2027. The U.S. has been the largest donor to the Global Fund since its inception.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced Democratic scrutiny last month over the administration’s decision to withhold $661 million for the Global Fund. During testimony on the administration’s budget request, Rubio insisted that all current funding obligations have been met and suggested the holdup might be a bookkeeping issue. “I think that will move shortly, very quickly,” Rubio said.
The funding standoff mirrors other administration clashes with Congress over appropriated funds, including the recent freeze on funding for New York’s Medicaid fraud unit. Critics argue the White House is overstepping its authority by impounding money that lawmakers have already approved.
With millions of lives at stake and a growing chorus of faith leaders demanding action, the pressure on the White House to release the funds is intensifying. The outcome could set a precedent for how the administration handles other congressionally mandated programs.
