March 4, 2025
Three weeks ago, AVAC, as well as the Global Health Council and partners, sued the U.S. State Department and government officials including the President, to end the freeze on foreign assistance funding that is harming global health and development programs, including lifesaving HIV prevention efforts.
On February 13, a US federal district court immediately granted a temporary restraining order and directed the government to lift the freeze and restore funding while our lawsuit progresses. Since then, the administration has repeatedly refused to restart funding, and the court has made clear more than once that the continued freeze is unlawful.
“The government comes to this Court with an emergency of its own making,” our lawyers wrote in a filing.
The lengths that the government is willing to go to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending life-saving humanitarian assistance, is staggering,” they said.
Now we have a court date: this Thursday, March 6 at 2pm Eastern Standard Time, we will be in Washington, DC, to make the case for human rights, health and dignity – and the government paying its bills.
This fight is far from over, and your support has been instrumental in reaching this point, and together, we can continue to champion the rights and health of communities worldwide.
How you can stay connected:
- Follow: For updates on our case and one filed by Global Health Council, visit AVAC vs. Department of State. For the latest on the policy environment in the US, subscribe to our weekly Global Health Watch.
- Donate: Your financial contributions are vital to fund our legal actions and advocacy efforts! Give here.
- Advocate: For the latest breaking news on US government developments, Join Community Health & HIV Advocates Navigating Global Emergencies (CHANGE) for briefings and advocacy strategizing. You can keep a close eye on implications at PEPFARWatch and the PEPFAR Impact Tracker.
- Share: Help us spread the word! Share Global Health Watch and other AVAC updates with your networks.
These are immensely challenging times for all of u, and it is easy to be paralyzed, overwhelmed and depressed. But we’ve all come too far for that to be the new normal. Lives, economies and democracies depend on our collective ability to stand up and fight back.