National Review: The U.S. Should Continue Its Fight against AIDS in Children
Charles Lyons, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S.

“Early in his tenure, President George W. Bush did something that would become an important footnote of his foreign policy legacy. With strong backing from the faith community, he launched the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. … It is no exaggeration to say that this one foreign policy program, which enjoys robust bipartisan congressional support, has saved millions of lives and restored hope and vitality to millions more. PEPFAR’s story, which is still unfolding today, is instructive as observers in Washington assess the Trump administration’s proposed budget and the reflex to pull back on foreign aid. … Steep reductions in U.S. foreign assistance funding jeopardize the goal of ending pediatric AIDS in our lifetime. Significant cuts would inevitably roll back the dramatic progress brought about largely by both the generosity of the American people and the global faith community. … [O]ur hope is that President Trump, too, will stand behind a policy untethered to politics, so we can defeat a disease unbound by borders. With continued political and financial commitment, this could and should be the administration that can celebrate the end of AIDS in children” (4/7).