WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanded answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the status of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds following reports that the State Department’s gutting of the program directly contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
“The Trump Administration’s gutting of PEPFAR is the latest in a long string of attacks on programs that are designed to save lives. The dismantlement of a program that has saved tens of millions of lives is both horrific and inhumane, and part of a larger pattern of the Trump Administration’s cruelty toward people living with HIV. Donald Trump must comply with the law and release the funds Congress rightfully approved for this crucial program immediately,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
In the letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ranking Member Garcia wrote, “When the Trump Administration unilaterally dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last year, Oversight Democrats warned that people would die. Sadly, we now know that the destruction of USAID and withholding of critical foreign assistance funds from programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) have killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Just as effective new treatments, including twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir, have put ending the HIV and AIDS pandemic within reach, PEPFAR funding cuts and delays by this Administration are undermining progress and endangering lives. A recent independent report by amfAR found that the State Department’s mishandling of the PEPFAR program has led to the unnecessary closure of at least 1,700 HIV and AIDS treatment sites in countries that need them most. While you claim that “the Trump Administration has strengthened PEPFAR,” the data tells a very different story. Oversight Democrats continue to demand answers about the Trump Administration’s dismantling of foreign assistance programs designed to save the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS.”
In June 2026, Ranking Member Robert Garcia released a report detailing the Trump Administration’s reckless crusade on American health, including the disruption of nearly $2.5 billion in funding for HIV/AIDS research. In June 2026, Ranking Member Robert Garcia released a report outlining how the Trump Administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) immediately blocked access to food and medical care for millions of people in at least 130 countries and hindered economic security for developing nations. In July 2025, Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi sought answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy in regard to the Trump Administration’s dismantling of lifesaving HIV/AIDS-related programs and research.
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