South Carolinians can support lifesaving global health work and demand accountability

South Carolinians understand the importance of helping neighbors in need. In churches, food pantries, mission fields, and communities across our state, people of faith put that calling into action every day. We also understand stewardship.

Whether money is raised in a church offering plate or appropriated by Congress, it should be handled carefully, transparently, and with a clear purpose.

That is the lens through which we should view the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Created more than two decades ago under President George W. Bush, the U.S.-led global health program supports HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, testing, and care in countries where the disease has devastated families and communities.

It is one of the most consequential humanitarian efforts our nation has ever led.

It has helped turn what was once a death sentence for millions into an opportunity to live, work, raise families, and contribute to their communities.

Since its founding, it has helped save an estimated 26 million lives and enabled nearly 7.8 million babies to be born HIV-free.

Behind those numbers are mothers, fathers, children, churches, and communities that were given hope when very little hope existed.

South Carolina has a meaningful voice in this debate. Our state is represented by leaders who have long understood the connection between faith, life, national leadership, and responsible
stewardship.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, in particular, has previously recognized the program’s impact: It “has not only saved millions of lives, it’s turned a death sentence into an opportunity to have a meaningful life,” he said in 2023 while in South Africa.

The question before Congress should not be whether compassion and accountability can coexist. They must coexist. Taxpayers deserve confidence that every dollar spent overseas is being vetted, measured, and directed toward programs that work.

Support for the AIDS relief program and other global health efforts should not mean writing a blank check.

It should mean protecting lifesaving work while requiring stronger oversight, clear performance metrics, regular vetting of implementing partners, and transparent reporting on how funds are used.

That approach is consistent with both conservative principles and biblical stewardship.

As Christians, we are called to care for the sick, the vulnerable, and those who have no one else coming to help.

Scripture also teaches us to be wise with what we have been given and to guard against waste. Those values belong together. A program can be compassionate and accountable. It can protect life and protect taxpayers.

One reason the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and related efforts have worked is that they often rely on faith-based organizations as trusted partners. Churches, missions, and faith-rooted health providers already have relationships, infrastructure, and credibility in communities that government agencies alone may never reach.

These partners provide counseling, treatment, testing, prevention, and care in places where access is limited.

Here in South Carolina, this kind of mission-minded work is not abstract. It is familiar to congregations across our state, from small rural churches to large sanctuaries in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill, Florence, and communities in between.

Many South Carolinians have sat in pews where missionaries shared stories from Africa, Latin America, and other parts of the world where churches and faith-based partners are often among the most trusted sources of help.

Local congregations support mission offerings, medical mission trips, children’s ministries, clean water projects, and partnerships with churches serving vulnerable communities abroad.

That is why this debate should matter here at home.

But supporting faith-based delivery should also mean insisting on accountability. Organizations doing the work should be properly vetted. Funds should follow proven outcomes. Programs that
fail to meet standards should be corrected or ended.

That is not an attack on the AIDS relief program. It is how we preserve its credibility and make sure it remains focused on its lifesaving mission.

If Congress wants lifesaving global health programs to maintain broad support, especially among conservatives and people of faith, it should strengthen the guardrails that ensure these programs are effective, transparent, and worthy of continued investment.

This is an opportunity for South Carolina’s leaders to help set the right standard.

Protect the lifesaving core of the program. Strengthen oversight. Demand measurable results. Respect taxpayers. Support trusted faith-based partners that are doing real work on the ground.

Millions of people are alive today because American leaders had the courage to act. Now Congress has the responsibility to preserve that legacy while making it more accountable and
sustainable.

South Carolinians should be able to support lifesaving work and demand that it be done the right way.