8 former CDC directors: Reform PEPFAR, don’t dismantle it

May 26, 2026 - 07:19

A group of eight former directors of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a stark warning against a State Department plan that they say would effectively dismantle the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. The plan, set to take effect on June 1, would restructure how the program operates, and the former health officials argue it would strip the United States of decades of hard-won disease defense.

PEPFAR, launched in 2003, is widely credited with saving millions of lives across Africa and other regions by providing antiretroviral drugs, prevention services, and health system support. The former CDC directors wrote that the program has also served as a critical early warning system for emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola and COVID-19. They warned that the proposed changes would weaken global health security and reverse progress against HIV/AIDS.

The directors urged Congress and the administration to reform the program rather than dismantle it. They emphasized that PEPFAR is not just a humanitarian effort but a strategic tool that protects American interests by containing outbreaks before they reach U.S. shores. The letter calls for a careful, evidence-based approach to any restructuring, warning that hasty changes could have deadly consequences.