The institute founded by President George W. Bush told Congress on Wednesday that the global AIDS program known as PEPFAR, a centerpiece of Mr. Bush's foreign policy legacy, has fallen victim to abortion politics on Capitol Hill. An urgent request was made to update the .
PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has saved an estimated 25 million lives since Bush founded it 20 years ago. The $6.9 billion program, which Congress has reauthorized every five years, has long enjoyed bipartisan support and is often cited as a strong example of American moral leadership in the world.
But it faces an uncertain future. A bill authorizing the program was passed on Sept. 30 after some House Republicans claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was using the program to facilitate abortions overseas. It expired in . These Republicans want to add abortion-related restrictions to PEPFAR, which would doom its reauthorization in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The nonpartisan Bush Institute has so far been reluctant to weigh in on the debate.
But in a bipartisan letter signed by more than 30 outgoing ambassadors, foreign policy figures and organizations, including the Carter Center, founded by former President Jimmy Carter, the institute urged Congress to reinstate the program. I begged for approval. In addition to saving lives, PEPFAR argued that it counters the growing influence of Russia and China and enhances the United States' reputation as a world leader.
“PEPFAR is a model of American leadership and a source of great national pride,” the letter said. “This is one of the most successful international development programs since World War II. Abandoning it suddenly now shows that politics can no longer be put aside for the sake of democracy and the betterment of the world. It would send a dark message.”
At least for now, PEPFAR continues to operate. But advocates worry that without fundamental authorization, the program could be subject to future budget cuts or elimination. And they say the plan will be weakened without bipartisan authority from Congress.
“The classic conservative argument is that we don't want to fund programs that are not authorized,” said Kiefer Buckingham, director of advocacy at the Open Society Foundations and a longtime supporter of PEPFAR. say. She added: “It is no exaggeration to say that optics matter in global health and global health politics.”
Mr. Bush himself did not sign the institute's letter. People close to him said he tries to use his voice sparingly. Among the signatories was Dr. Deborah L. Birx, a senior fellow at the Bush Institute who ran PEPFAR under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump and served as Mr. Trump's coronavirus response coordinator. It was included.
In an interview Wednesday, Dr. Birx called on President Biden or his advisers to take a more active role in reauthorizing PEPFAR. She convened a small group of House and Senate members to “tell him that this is personally important to him” and “ask him how we can work together to show compassion for others.” He proposed impressing upon Congress the importance of showing the world whether the government will do so.
“Someone has to step in and take a leadership role,” she said, adding, “If reauthorization doesn't happen in the end, it's because the current administration doesn't prioritize reauthorization and compromises to find a way forward.” Because I didn't find it,” he added. ”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Bush has publicly said he wants the program reauthorized. Over the summer, he discussed its future with Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, over lunch at the Bush family compound in Maine. In mid-September, he published an opinion piece in the Washington Post urging Congress to preserve it.
PEPFAR supporters on Capitol Hill at the time thought they were making progress toward breaking the impasse. California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, the plan's lead sponsor, said in an interview at the time that she was working on a bipartisan reauthorization bill with Michigan Rep. John James, a freshman Republican.
But the effort was put on hold last month in the face of a potential government shutdown and remained stalled while House Republicans fought over who would become the next speaker. Dr. Birx said he remains hopeful that the program will be reauthorized by Dec. 1, which is World AIDS Day.
