The Lawfare Podcast

The PEPFAR Reauthorization Battle, with Emily Bass

Aug 22, 2023

Emily Bass, a writer and activist, discusses the potential expiration of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and its impact on millions of people. They explore how PEPFAR has changed over the years and the reauthorization battle it currently faces. The podcast also addresses the transformation of HIV treatment, the Mexico City Policy, and the importance of a clean reauthorization to protect the program's progress.

40:25

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Episode guests

Emily Bass

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Quick takeaways

PEPFAR has saved over 25 million lives and transformed HIV from a death sentence to a manageable condition through its provision of antiretroviral drugs and focus on long-term interventions and support for health systems globally.

PEPFAR's potential expiration and proposed changes in reauthorization process pose risks, with a one-year reauthorization disrupting planning and appropriations potentially removing crucial controls, jeopardizing the program's success.

Deep dives

PEPFAR's Origins and Impact

In 2003, President Bush launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that revolutionized HIV/AIDS treatment and saved over 25 million lives. PEPFAR expanded access to antiretroviral drugs, transforming HIV from a death sentence to a manageable condition. The program focused on long-term interventions, epidemic control, and supporting health systems in countries around the world. PEPFAR's success stemmed from its bilateral structure, rapid response, and partnerships with local organizations. The program significantly contributed to stabilizing health systems and played a crucial role in the fight against global pandemics.

Introduction

2min

Transforming HIV Treatment: The Impact of PEPFAR

7min

The Reauthorization Process and Potential Risk of Expiring

4min

Reauthorization of PEPFAR and the Mexico City Policy

6min

The Benefits of Green Chef: Sustainable Meal Kits for Easy and Time-Saving Dinners

2min

The Battle for PEPFAR Reauthorization

23min

In 2003, President Bush created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, and in the twenty years since, the program has been credited with saving over 25 million lives and stabilizing health systems around the world. On Sept. 30, 2023, the program will expire if Congress doesn’t act, putting millions of people at risk of losing access to HIV/AIDS treatment.

Lawfare Associate Editor of Communications Anna Hickey sat down with Emily Bass, a writer and activist who has spent more than twenty years writing about and working on HIV/AIDS. In 2021, she wrote “To End a Plague,” a book on America's war on AIDS in Africa. They discussed how PEPFAR has changed over the past two decades, why it is at risk of expiring this fall, and what the expiration would mean for the millions of people who depend on it.

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