By Julio Fuentes
Twenty-three years ago, the United States took bold action to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR. The program is widely regarded as one of the most successful global health initiatives in history, saving millions of lives while strengthening America’s standing around the world.
Today, more than a billion dollars appropriated for PEPFAR and other global health programs is at risk of disappearing without a vote in Congress.
Congress already approved this funding. The problem is that the Office of Management and Budget has not released it. If the money is not obligated before September 30, the end of the fiscal year, it will expire through a process known as a “pocket rescission.” In effect, funding approved by Congress will simply vanish.
The person best positioned to stop that outcome is Marco Rubio. After serving Florida in the U.S. Senate for fourteen years, he now oversees what remains of PEPFAR as Secretary of State. Throughout his Senate career, Rubio was a consistent supporter of PEPFAR and bipartisan efforts to fund global health programs.
We know he is willing to act. This summer, after bipartisan senators urged him to intervene, Rubio directed the State Department to send $600 million to Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Like PEPFAR funding, the money had already been appropriated by Congress but was being withheld and faced expiration on September 30.
He should show that same leadership now by pressing the Office of Management and Budget to release these funds before the deadline.
The consequences of inaction are already becoming clear. Researchers reported this summer that cuts to PEPFAR funding have disrupted HIV treatment and prevention services across multiple countries.
Among the hardest hit is Haiti. Roughly half of Haitian immigrants in the United States live in Florida, largely in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. For many Florida families, this is not an abstract policy debate taking place thousands of miles away. It is about relatives and loved ones who depend on access to lifesaving care.
Since 2003, the United States has invested more than $100 billion in PEPFAR and saved more than 26 million lives. Few government programs can point to results as measurable or as enduring.
Secretary Rubio, this is not a request for new spending. It is a request to release money Congress has already approved for a program you championed while representing Florida in the Senate. If these funds are not released before October 1, they will be lost permanently through a Washington procedural maneuver that disregards congressional intent and puts lives at risk.
Julio Fuentes is president and CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
