On Wednesday, a group of fired USAID employees and HIV advocates took a bold stand against what they see as a devastating attack on global health and humanitarian aid. They staged a protest inside a Capitol office building, raising alarms over former President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the agency that plays a critical role in the fight against HIV.
Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Aid funding cuts kill” and chanting “Congress has blood on its hands, unfreeze aid now,” roughly 30 protesters lay down in the Cannon House office building’s rotunda, demanding immediate action. Capitol police made around 20 arrests as demonstrators refused to disperse.
Asia Russell, executive director of Health Gap, a global HIV advocacy group, spoke out before the protest, urging Congress to stop allowing the erosion of life-saving humanitarian assistance. “What’s at stake here is hard to overstate,” she said. “We need Congress to stop being complicit in this attack on aid programs that have a real impact on lives.”
The protest comes on the heels of a significant disruption within USAID, following Trump’s efforts to freeze the agency and its operations. Just days ago, USAID announced that most of its global workforce, including nearly 2,000 domestic staff, was being placed on paid leave. The agency’s headquarters in Washington is set to be repurposed for US Customs and Border Protection, as part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.
This move comes at a critical moment in the fight against HIV, as USAID’s closure has led to a suspension of payments for programs, such as PEPFAR, which provides life-saving medication to 20 million people globally. A federal judge has ordered the government to release billions in frozen foreign aid funds, warning that the delay could have disastrous consequences for the global fight against HIV.
Van Credle, a fired USAID contractor, denounced the actions of both Trump and Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” which has played a key role in undermining the agency. “This isn’t about efficiency—this is about fraud, waste, and abuse,” she said, referencing Musk’s influence on the dismantling of the agency.
Despite bipartisan support for foreign aid in the past, the current Republican-led Congress has shown little interest in preserving USAID. Former USAID contractor Kelsey Crow voiced her frustration, urging lawmakers to step up. “Congress has a responsibility here, and their silence on this issue is incredibly disappointing,” Crow said.
As the protest continues to garner attention, advocates hope that it will push Congress to take action and reverse the damaging cuts that threaten global health efforts, including the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Leave a Reply