U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expressing concern that the State Department is considering withholding critical HIV/AIDS treatment and economic assistance to Zambia unless the country agrees to favorable economic reforms for U.S. Businesses.
The senators, who serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Shaheen as its ranking member, warned that conditioning lifesaving assistance on economic concessions would undermine decades of bipartisan U.S. Global health leadership and violate statutory prohibitions against tying humanitarian aid to political or economic conditions.
According to the letter, which was reviewed by world-today-news.com, the senators cited reports that the administration is reviewing aid programs under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Zambia as leverage to push for regulatory changes benefiting American corporations, particularly in the mining and agriculture sectors.
Zambia remains one of the countries most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, with over 1.2 million people living with the virus and PEPFAR supporting antiretroviral treatment for nearly 800,000 Zambians as of 2023. The senators noted that any disruption to treatment access could reverse hard-won gains in viral suppression and increase transmission risks.
The letter also raised concerns about the potential impact on MCC-funded infrastructure projects in Zambia, including road repairs and grid modernization efforts aimed at reducing energy poverty, which have been cited by Zambian officials as critical to long-term economic stability.
Senator Shaheen, in a statement accompanying the letter, said: “Using life-saving medical aid as a bargaining chip is not only morally wrong — It’s illegal under current law and contradicts everything the United States stands for in global health.”
The senators requested a formal briefing from the State Department within 14 days on the legal basis for any proposed aid restrictions, the specific economic reforms being demanded, and an assessment of the potential humanitarian consequences.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the State Department had not issued a public response to the letter or confirmed whether aid reviews are underway in Zambia under the conditions described by the senators.
