The Senate will remove a provision in a rescissions bill that would have cut funding for a program that combats HIV and AIDS, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced on July 15.
The rescissions bill would claw back $9 billion in federal spending, a $400 million reduction from the $9.4 billion in original cuts.
The program, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, would have seen a $400 million cut under the rescissions bill. The initiative, created during the George W. Bush administration, would result in a $1.9 billion reduction.
“There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue, and so that’s reflected in the substitute [amendment to change the bill],” Thune told reporters….