Senate Passage of Rescissions Package

In July 2025, the United States Senate approved a request to claw back funding for foreign assistance programs — but rejected dangerous cuts to US investments in the fight against HIV/AIDS that were included in the original request.

The Trump administration’s rescissions request to revoke $8.3 billion in international assistance funding would have resulted in large cuts to life-saving global health programs such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Since 2003, PEPFAR has saved 26 million lives from HIV/AIDS – including nearly 8 million babies who were born HIV-free.

Recent polling conducted by ONE reaffirmed widespread and bipartisan support among Americans for the critical health investments that this package intended to cut. 69% of Americans agree that the U.S. should continue to fund global efforts in combatting HIV/AIDS, compared to only 10% who disagree.

ONE mobilized our dedicated local advocates and supporters nationwide to urge the Senate to reject this package.

Impact

• Following concerns from multiple Senators, the requested $400 million cut for US investments in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including support for PEPFAR, was pulled from the package.
• Senators also added protections to ensure previously appropriated funding for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition, and maternal and child health programs is spent as Congress originally intended.

What We Did

• We released a poll showing broad bipartisan support for global health programs.
• We galvanized our supporters and advocates to send more than 15,000 emails to Capitol Hill and made dozens of calls and tweets urging Senators to reject cuts to global health funding.