Prior to a procedural vote Tuesday to begin debate on the $9.4 billion package, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said that the White House had agreed to an amendment to the bill that would exempt the HIV/AIDS relief program.

The White House’s decision to safeguard $400m in President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding to support the global human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emergency provides “hope” to people living with the virus,

The Trump administration agreed to exempt a global AIDS-relief program from spending cuts in the rescissions package.

Senate Republicans advance President Donald Trump's $9 billion spending clawback package through final procedural hurdle, with some bipartisan opposition to foreign aid cuts.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) broke with the Senate Republican caucus and opposed both of the procedural votes, citing concerns about the bill — and, apparently, a lack of clarity from the White House on where exactly the cuts will come from.

Senate Republicans reached an agreement with the White House on Tuesday to preserve funding for a flagship global HIV and AIDS relief program known as PEPFAR, backing off a proposed $400 million cut that had drawn sharp opposition from within their own ranks and threatened to derail President Donald Trump’s sweeping package of spending rescissions.

The administration made a deal with Senate Republicans to remove $400 million in proposed cuts to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The UNAIDS annual report warns that Trump era HIV funding cuts could lead to 6 million more infections and 4 million deaths by 2029 — as low-income countries struggle to fill the gap.