Trump administration cuts CDC’s key role in global program to stop HIV (May 8, 2026 )
May 8, 2026 — The Trump administration is implementing a significant policy shift that restricts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) involvement in PEPFAR, a long-standing international initiative to combat HIV/AIDS.
Under this new America First Global Health Strategy, the State Department will bypass the CDC to provide funding directly to foreign governments through bilateral agreements. Many of these deals require recipient nations to sign a memorandum of understanding that sometimes involves granting the United States access to local natural resources. Critics of the plan argue that removing CDC expertise and oversight could dismantle vital healthcare infrastructure and jeopardize decades of progress against the global epidemic. While the administration promotes this change as a way for countries to achieve self-sufficiency, public health experts fear it may lead to financial mismanagement and a rise in preventable deaths. This restructuring represents a fundamental departure from the bipartisan cooperation that defined the program for over twenty years.
| https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-administration-cuts-cdc-s-key-role-global-program-stop-hiv |