Trump blames Europe as deadly impact of US cuts on Aids pandemic grows
Donald Trump has accused European countries of not helping with the HIV/Aids pandemic, as the UN warned sweeping US cuts to its HIV response programme will cost millions of lives.
Speaking to The Independent, comments included in a new documentary on the impact of the cuts, the president said the United States had spent 'billions and billions of dollars' to combat the disease and was the 'only country' assisting, adding that now it was Europe's turn to step up.
'Nobody does anything but the United States… Other countries should be helping us with that,' he said onboard Air Force One during a trip back from Florida this month. 'We're the only country. Where are the others? Where is France? Where is Germany? We've spent billions and billions of dollars.'
Although the US has by far been the largest funder of HIV support worldwide – providing more than two-thirds of the cash, according to the UN's Aids agency (UNAIDS) – France, Germany, and the UK are also among the top five contributors globally.
The President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) was first introduced by Republican president George W Bush in 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the world's most successful responses to a global disease crisis, having saved over 26 million lives.
UNAIDS told The Independent that Pepfar was integral to putting the world on track to end the HIV/Aids pandemic by 2030. But that progress is now in jeopardy.
In a shocking move during the first few hours of his presidency, Mr Trump signed an executive order freezing almost all foreign assistance for 90 days while programmes were reviewed to ensure they aligned with 'American interests'.
That included a funding freeze for Pepfar, disrupting supplies and treatment for 20 million people worldwide.
Although a waiver was later issued by the State Department to allow the continuation of life-saving services, it remains unclear if the waiver is being implemented on the ground. The 90-day freeze period has now passed without a permanent decision made on the future of funding for programmes like Pepfar.
A documentary investigation by The Independent, which includes reporting from remote areas in Uganda and Zimbabwe, shows that money is not getting through. Clinics are having to close and patients have lost access to their medication, causing illness, death and medication-resistant HIV strains.
The Independent's own calculations, based on UNAIDS data, show that if funding is not reinstated and nothing changes, the HIV/Aids death toll will triple by 2030 — reaching the devastating levels seen in the 1990s and early 2000s. At the same time, there could be an additional 6 million new infections, including 1 million children, due to mother-to-child transmission.
Pepfar's impact tracker has predicted that, as a result of the aid freezes, an estimated 35,000 deaths have already occurred.
On the ground in Uganda, The Independent met women like Hadja, 27, a mother of three in Uganda, who is HIV positive and pregnant but unable to get hold of antiretrovirals – meaning she cannot prevent transmission of HIV to her unborn child.
The documentary also features Hardlife, a 15-year-old Zimbabwean who lost both his HIV-positive parents earlier this year because they could not afford or find their medications.
The film also visits an HIV/Aids clinic in southern Uganda that was 100 percent funded by USAID.
Staff said they had to shut down for two months, then reopen with a skeleton crew working without pay. They now have only two months' worth of drug supplies left and worry about the future of their patients.
Angeli Achrekar, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, told The Independent there were 'challenges' in applying the waiver.
'The whole HIV service delivery system is an ecosystem. Any one kink in the system could cause a real ripple effect across the entire HIV ecosystem,' she said.
When asked about the apparent failure of the waiver, MrTrump told The Independent that it 'shouldn't be happening' and urged the countries involved 'to act properly on the waiver'.
'But I do ask: why are we the only country doing it? I'm a big fan of getting this solved,' he added.
Although the US was carrying the lion's share of the financial burden of funding the fight against HIV/Aids – and is in the words of UNAIDS 'the most important donor' – it is not the only donor.
According to data shared by the Global Fund to Fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, Germany and France are among the largest donors.
The Global Fund is another major part of the global response to HIV/Aids that pools resources from governments, civil society, and the private sector to fund programmes to end these diseases.
Their data shows France, a founding member of the Global Fund is the largest European donor and the second-largest public donor overall, behind the US. They have contributed €6.9bn since the fund was started 20 years ago.
In the last replenishment conference in 2022, France pledged €1.6bn for the years 2023 to 2025 — nearly a quarter increase from its previous contribution.
Germany, meanwhile is the fourth-largest public donor overall, contributing over €5.3bn since the fund was created 20 years ago. It pledged €1.3bn for the 2023–2025 cycle, according to the Global Fund.
UNAIDS officials told The Independent that while the US has provided the most funds, countries have also played a significant role relative to their economic size.
There has also been a move to increase domestic funding and resilience from countries hardest hit by the HIV/Aids pandemic.
'We do recognise and want to celebrate that the US has been the largest donor and has done an amazing job during the last decades. Thanks to that we are where we are in the HIV response, so it has been amazing leadership and contributions,' Jaime Atienza Azcona, a director at UNAID, told The Independent.
'Others have done their part, but to a lesser degree. Going forward, we need a more balanced approach among the different donors. But we still need donor support and we still need the US leadership, even if it is at a lower scale.'
The Independent reached out to the foreign ministries of both France and Germany for comment on President Trump's accusations but has yet to receive a reply.
This story has been produced as part of The Independent's Rethinking Global Aid series
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
21 minutes ago
- The Hill
Collins opposed to PEPFAR, global health rescissions proposed by Trump
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday that she is opposed to a Trump White House proposal that would claw back money Congress has already appropriated for global health programs, including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 'I do not support the rescission for PEPFAR and global health programs,' Collins told reporters as she walked into a meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. The White House on Tuesday sent lawmakers a request to rescind $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, which were targeted for cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Congress needs to approve the rescissions package to codify the DOGE cuts. The package would cut nearly $9 million from PEPFAR and $400 million from global programs intended to control the spread of HIV/AIDS. Congress has 45 days to act on the package, which will be considered on a procedural fast-track in the Senate, allowing it to pass the upper chamber with a simple majority vote. Collins in a statement Tuesday said the Appropriations Committee 'will carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, national security' and other congressional priorities.
UPI
21 minutes ago
- UPI
Watch: John Cena, Idris Elba team up in 'Heads of State'
1 of 5 | John Cena stars in the upcoming Prime Video movie "Heads of State." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 4 (UPI) -- John Cena, Idris Elba and Priyanka Chopra Jonas drive through an explosion in a new trailer for the Prime Video action comedy Heads of State. Elba stars as British prime minister Sam Clarke, while Cena plays Will Derringer, the U.S. president who doubles as an actor. Chopra Jonas portrays Noel Bisset, an MI6 agent. "Twenty-four hours ago, somebody shot down Air Force One over unfriendly territory," a voice says in the preview, which arrived Wednesday. Clarke and Derringer were in the plane when it was attacked. "Now, they'll embark on a breathtaking adventure," the narrator continues. The rivals are forced by their circumstances to learn to work together. Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle and Paddy Considine also star in the film, which arrives on Prime Video July 2. John Cena turns 48: a look back John Cena of WWE attends the USA Network 2007 Upfront event in New York City on March 28, 2007. Photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo
Chicago Tribune
21 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's big bill making its way through Congress will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimates an increase of 10.9 million people without health insurance under the bill by 2034, including 1.4 million who are in the United States without legal status in state-funded programs. The package would reduce federal outlays, or spending, by nearly $1.3 trillion over that period, the budget office said. What is the CBO? A look at the small office inflaming debate over Trump's tax bill'In the words of Elon Musk, this bill is a 'disgusting abomination,'' said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, reviving the billionaire former Trump aide's criticism of the package. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he called Musk late Tuesday to discuss the criticism but had not heard back. 'I hope he comes around,' Johnson told reporters. The analysis comes at a crucial moment in the legislative process as Trump is pushing Congress to have the final product on his desk to sign into law by the Fourth of July. The work of the CBO, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress, will be weighed by lawmakers and others seeking to understand the budgetary impacts of the sprawling 1,000-page-plus package. Ahead of the CBO's release, the White House and Republican leaders criticized the budget office in a preemptive campaign designed to sow doubt in its findings. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the CBO has been 'historically wrong,' and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CBO was 'flat wrong' because it underestimated the potential revenue growth from Trump's first round of tax breaks in 2017. The CBO last year said receipts were $1.5 trillion, or 5.6% greater than predicted, in large part because of the 'burst of high inflation' during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. White House Budget Director Russ Vought said when you adjust for 'current policy' — which means not counting some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that are simply being extended for the next decade — the overall package actually doesn't pile onto the deficit. He argued the spending cuts alone in fact help reduce deficits by $1.4 trillion over the decade. Democrats and even some Republicans call that 'current policy' accounting move a gimmick, but it's the approach Senate Republicans intend to use during their consideration of the package to try to show it does not add to the nation's deficits. Vought argued that the CBO is the one using a 'gimmick' by tallying the costs of continuing those tax breaks that would otherwise expire. Leavitt also suggested that the CBO's employees are biased, even though certain budget office workers face strict ethical rules — including restrictions on campaign donations and political activity — to ensure objectivity and impartiality. 'When it comes time to make prognostications on economic growth, they've always been wrong,' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at a press conference. Asked if it's time to get rid of the CBO, Scalise did not dismiss the idea, saying it's valid to raise concerns. Alongside the costs of the bill, the CBO had previously estimated that nearly 4 million fewer people would have food stamps each month due to the legislation's proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. The bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the president's own catch phrase, is grinding its way through Congress, as the top priority of Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate — and face stiff opposition from Democrats, who call it Trump's 'big, ugly bill.' All told, the package seeks to extend the individual income tax breaks that had been approved in 2017 but that will expire in December if Congress fails to act, while adding new ones, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security. To help cover the lost revenue, Republicans want to slash some federal spending. They propose phasing out green energy tax breaks put in place during Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. New work requirements for some adults up to age 65 on Medicaid and SNAP would begin in December 2026 and are expected to result in less spending on those programs. Republicans argue their proposals are intended to make Medicaid and other programs stronger by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. They want the federal funding to go those who most need health care and other services, often citing women and children. But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said those claims are bogus and are simply part of long-running GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as most states have expanded Medicaid to serve more people under the program. 'They just want to strangle health care,' Schumer said. The package also would provide a $4 trillion increase to the nation's debt limit, which is now $36 trillion, to allow more borrowing. The Treasury Department projects the debt limit will need to be raised this summer to pay the nation's already accrued bills. Now in its 50th year, the CBO was established by law after Congress sought to assert its control, as outlined in the Constitution, over the budget process, in part by setting up the new office as an alternative to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Staffed by some 275 economists, analysts and other employees, the CBO says it seeks to provide Congress with objective, impartial information about budgetary and economic issues. Its current director, Phillip Swagel, a former Treasury official in Republican President George W. Bush's administration, was reappointed to a four-year term in 2023.
