10
Loading video...
By Jon Jackson
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A small group of activists entered House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's office on Monday and staged a protest, according to journalists who were on the scene.
Alice Miranda Ollstein, a reporter for Politico, was among several people who shared footage on X (formerly Twitter) of the activists chanting for McCarthy, a California Republican, to pass the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
PEPFAR, a government program that works with nonprofit groups to provide HIV/AIDS medication to people worldwide, is set to have its authorization expire on September 30 if it is not renewed. Some Republicans do not support continuing the program, arguing it can be used to give funding to provide or promote abortion services.
Read More
Matt Gaetz Floats Unlikely Partnership to Take Down Kevin McCarthy3 min read
Photo of Ron DeSantis’ Unwanted Auction Items Goes Viral3 min read
Madison Cawthorn’s 9/11 Post on ‘Innocent Muslims’ Raises Eyebrows3 min read
...
Ollstein reported that U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) arrested seven demonstrators during the protest.
The advocacy groups Housing Works and Health GAP (Global Access Project) organized the protest.
"As activists from @housingworks and @HealthGAP are arrested in an act of civil disobedience in Speaker McCarthy's office, a reminder that @PEPFAR exists today because of brave activist direct action targeting duty bearers. Proud of activists! #ProudofPEPFAR," a post on Health GAP's account read.
Housing Works also acknowledged the protest on X and noted that its CEO, Charles King, and Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell were among those arrested.
The U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek in a statement: "This morning, multiple individuals were demonstrating inside a House Office Building. After the demonstrators refused to cease demonstrating, USCP then arrested the 4 males and 3 females for Unlawful Entry."
Newsweek reached out to Speaker McCarthy via email for comment.
PEPFAR was introduced in 2003 by former President George W. Bush as an effort to decrease global AIDS deaths. The program provides funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, research and treatment.
Among the Republican lawmakers who do not favor reauthorizing the program in its current form is Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, who chairs the U.S. House Foreign Affairs subcommittee with jurisdiction over the PEPFAR's funding.
Smith wrote the bill reauthorizing PEPFAR in 2018, but he recently said he wants the program to bar funding for abortion services before he will support reauthorization.
Also putting pressure on limited PEPFAR is the Heritage Foundation. The conservative think tank released a report earlier this year that accused the Biden administration of using PEPFAR to "promote its domestic radical social agenda overseas."
The Biden administration has dismissed claims that PEPFAR indirectly supports abortions. Administration officials also want a "clean" five-year reauthorization of the program, which Health GAP and Housing Works support.
PEPFAR would not shut down if it doesn't receive authorization, but supporters of the program have warned that its work would be disrupted without government support.
Update 09/11/23, 2:39 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the U.S. Capitol Police and additional information.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines