Elton John Slams Trump Administration’s USAID Cuts: ‘Devastating Effects on the HIV Response’

Elton John is speaking out against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to USAID.

The Trump administration announced plans on Thursday (Feb. 27) to eliminate more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts, as well as $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance worldwide, according to the Associated Press. USAID has been the world’s largest single aid provider for decades.

“The U.S. Administration’s abrupt decision to cut over 90% of USAID contracts could have devastating effects on the HIV response,” John wrote on Instagram Saturday (March 1) alongside an official statement from his Elton John AIDS Foundation. “We are working with our 90+ partners to ensure they can continue to provide lifesaving services and are launching The Rocket Response Fund to help cover immediate gaps in essential care.”

John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 to fund research aimed at eradicating HIV and AIDS. Over the past three decades, the organization has grown into one of the world’s largest independent AIDS charity organizations.

The iconic musician continued, “We urge the U.S. government to continue the lifesaving work of bipartisan programs like PEPFAR.”

PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was launched by President George W. Bush in 2003. The program has reportedly been credited with saving millions of lives globally by providing access to antiretroviral treatment, which helps people living with HIV manage the virus and stay alive.

The Trump administration’s announcement follows a 90-day review period initiated in January, during which all projects funded by U.S. taxpayer money were evaluated to ensure alignment with the president’s “America First” policy, Reuters reports.

The decision to cut funding has sent shockwaves through HIV programs in South Africa. “We are being pushed off a cliff,” Dr. Kate Rees, a public health specialist with one of the largest nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) fighting HIV in South Africa, told the AP.

“We will see lives lost,” added Professor Linda-Gail Bekker, director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Center. “We are going to see this epidemic walk back because of this.”

Bekker told the AP that they expected the Trump administration to target specific programs, such as those supporting gay men and sex workers, but were surprised to find that the cuts affected almost every program. She noted that she wasn’t aware of an HIV NGO or health center in South Africa that hadn’t lost its USAID funding.

“This has been across the board,” Bekker said. “This is programs for children, orphans, for young women and girls. It is not hyperbole that I predict a huge disaster … unless we can fill the gap.”