In this archived photograph from July 12, 2025, a person passes by a PEPFAR sign in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Previously unreleased information obtained by the State Department suggests that the number of individuals undergoing treatment via the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has remained stable despite considerable reductions in overseas aid expenditure under the Trump administration, as indicated in an internal department communication dispatched to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which ABC News exclusively viewed.
The communication, designated as sensitive yet not classified, conveys that while the overall funds allocated to the initiative decreased by about 30%, 20.6 million HIV-positive individuals across more than 50 nations were given anti-retroviral drugs through U.S. government initiatives during the 2025 fiscal period — a figure consistent with government data indicating the number receiving this therapy in 2024.
In this archived photograph from July 12, 2025, a person passes by a PEPFAR sign in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Nevertheless, the communication did not provide information about the number of people who were given testing and counseling services by PEPFAR, which totaled 84.1 million in 2024. Worldwide health authorities project that amount could have diminished by over 15 million in 2025, partly caused by disruption to certain testing initiatives amid the Trump administration's temporary halt to the majority of overseas aid in early 2025.
But Jeremy Lewin, the State Department's top official for foreign assistance and security, reveals that the information amassed in 2025 exhibits advancement towards other Trump administration objectives, notably the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Lewin communicated to Rubio that the number of pregnant and nursing mothers who commenced pre-exposure prophylaxis through PEPFAR more than multiplied. He stated it rose from 43,000 in 2024 to 103,000 in 2025, " showing early progress on any early focus area of yours and President Trump's."
Furthermore, Lewin indicated that the 2025 information demonstrates "a significant move toward national self-sufficiency," clarifying that treatment programs for 3 million people with HIV/AIDS were now being overseen by national governments as opposed to organizations functioning on behalf of PEPFAR.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio provides remarks during working-level peace discussions at the U.S. State Department, April 14, 2026 in Washington.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Lewin remarked that the department anticipated "further gains" towards national self-sufficiency as it continues to pivot to its updated global health strategy founded on bilateral agreements that require a degree of co-investment from participating countries.
In a message outlining the strategy in September 2025, Rubio indicated that the U.S. would finalize treaties with 71 nations by the year’s conclusion and establish detailed implementation strategies with those nations by the close of March 2026 — a schedule the administration has not kept up with.
In this archived photograph from Feb. 3, 2026, US Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom Jeremy Lewin speaks during a Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace, in Washington, D.C.Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
In his communication, Lewin conveyed that as of April 7, the U.S had thus far "signed 30 pacts with nearly $20.6 billion dollars in both U.S. and partner co-investment commitments," adding that the current information "does not yet show the impact of these historic deals."
The Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy will confidentially update members of Congress on the 2025 PEPFAR data prior to making it available to the general public on Friday, according to the communication.
Since its inception by former President George W. Bush in 2003, PEPFAR has been responsible for saving 25 million lives across the globe, offering support to 7 million orphans and at-risk children, and facilitating the birth of 5.5 million infants free of HIV, according to the State Department. It’s recognized as the biggest dedication by any nation to combat a singular ailment in history.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com