The current presidential administration is slashing the lifesaving PEPFAR program for HIV relief, despite earlier public assurances to lawmakers and advocates that funding for the program was secure.Funding will be cut by half for both this and next years federal budgets, before he shuts down the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) completely, according to members of the programs staff as well as budget documents viewed by The New York Times. Related The GOP wants to end a life-saving HIV program & sell poor countries U.S meds instead PEPFAR has saved an estimated 26 million lives since it was introduced by President George W. Bush in 2003.The massive cuts come after PEPFARs supporters were lulled into thinking that the program was secure. Last July, the White House relented and restored $400 million in cuts to the program. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today That fight, in the face of bipartisan Senate opposition, was a distraction, according to staff members who work for PEPFAR, because theyve been repeatedly told by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that the program would be receiving less than half of the $6 billion appropriated by Congress for the 2025 fiscal year even after the $400 million was officially restored.But even that money hasnt been restored, according to a federal budget tracking website that was disappeared by the presidential administration in January and restored by court order just last week. Failure by OMB Director Russell Vought to appropriate the money is a de facto spending cut, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who serves as vice chair of the Senates Appropriations Committee.Even after promising Republican lawmakers that the program would be protected, Russ Vought has choked off a huge chunk of funding provided by Congress for PEPFAR, she said. And hes managed to hide this cut from lawmakers and the public until now because he took down a key spending transparency website.According to PEPFAR staff, they were told that the program would be given a maximum amount of $2.9 billion out of the original $6 billion commitment to the program. PEPFAR staff were told that they should make plans with implementing partners around the globe accordingly. Those staffers spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal. Further dilution of PEPFARs mission, mandated by Congress to cover HIV prevention alone, is occurring alongside budgetary cutbacks for preventing other diseases worldwide. Funds are being cut for Global Health security, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and Polio eradication and prevention, according to an OMB document.The massive funding cuts coincide with Secretary of State Marco Rubios plan to shut PEPFAR down completely, cutting some countries off within just two years, and shuttering the entire program within eight.Observers have said that the cuts will worsen HIV epidemics abroad, destabilizing African regions, and making them more susceptible to warlords and other national security risks.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.