Susan Collins

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Isaac Churchill of Holden is a member of the ministerial staff of First Pentecostal Church in Brewer.

One of the defining legacies of President George W. Bush’s administration is the impact that he had on the fight against AIDS. In 2003, President Bush announced the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) during the State of the Union. In his speech, the president said that the U.S should be a leader in “sparing innocent people from a plague of nature.” Thanks in large part to Sen. Susan Collins, we’ve done just that. Since its founding, the PEPFAR program has been a beacon of hope for the African continent in their fight against HIV/ AIDS.

The funding of these programs is crucial, and Collins is a key driver in ensuring that happens. This is a matter of life and death, and I pray that Collins uses her power and influence as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to include robust funding for PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Gav,i the Vaccine Alliance in the FY27 appropriations package.

Widely speaking, PEPFAR is one of the most successful public health programs in history. Since its inception, this program has saved more than 26 million lives, supported antiretroviral therapy for more than 20.6 million people, and ensured 8 million babies are born into this world HIV-free. In no uncertain terms, these programs have spared an entire generation from a disease once thought to be unstoppable.

As a Christian leader, I pray for those who are less fortunate than I am. I am blessed to live in a time and place where we always have adequate medical care, warm food on the table, and a roof over my head. For so many across the world, this isn’t the case. PEPFAR and other global health programs, like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, have been for U.S positive influence in Africa.

Since 2002, the Global Fund has helped save 70 million lives from AIDS, TB, and malaria — diseases that disproportionately impact the poorest people and countries on Earth. Psalm 82:3 tells us to “defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” It is apparent to me that Collins, as a woman of faith, takes these words to heart, and I find strength and courage in the fact that she follows scripture to make many of these key decisions.

I’ll note, too, that these programs have been largely successful because of Christian organizations and the U.S government’s willingness to partner with them. These organizations know local communities and the actors within, which allows them to be effective advocates and partners. Collins has always been proud to share her Catholic faith, and I appreciate the steps she has taken to defend these faith-based organizations and their involvement in these programs.

Throughout her career, Collins has been a fierce advocate for PEPFAR programs and global health funding. She has seen the program’s success and has been one of the most vocal friends of PEPFAR in the Senate, voting every year to support the program since its inception.

This is a legacy-defining moment — and it’s not the time to let politics and “cost cutting” take precedent over real, human lives. These programs can continue to benefit millions of children and families across Africa and will continue to be a strong display of U.S diplomacy across the continent. Faith-based organizations continue to stand at the ready to support the government as a partner in this fight against disease. When President Bush first introduced PEPFAR, he reminded the nation of the moment we were in, saying that “seldom has history offered the opportunity to do so much for so many.”