The Foreign aid pause Ordered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio will cause a break in funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, two sources said Monday. This could interrupt the supply of antiviral drugs (ARVs) for millions.

It is not clear whether local supplies of the drugs can make up for any supply shortfalls that may occur during the pause, the sources said.

While the funding may be returned pending the outcome of a 90-day review, there is also growing concern among advocates that congressional support for Pepfar is in jeopardy due to a revelation earlier this month that groups receiving aid performed abortions, a US violation. law.

Reuters reported that four nurses in Mozambique had performed 21 abortions since 2021. That revelation could also be part of the State Department’s upcoming review.

The State Department administers the PEPFAR program that began under the George W. Bush administration and is credited with saving millions of lives around the world. It provides billions in funding to organizations to fight HIV and currently provides ARVs to more than 20 million people in 55 countries, according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

President Trump issued an executive order with a 90-day review of U.S. foreign aid programs. CBS News obtained a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) memo sent Saturday that says the foreign aid pause “represents a complete freeze” with limited exceptions.

Mr. Trump told reporters on Saturday that he would like to see other countries spend more on foreign aid.

“We’re like a one-way street, so we want other people to help us and we want other people to join us. We’re spending billions and billions and billions of dollars and other countries that are rich are spending zero,” the president shared reporters aboard Air Force One. “Why should we be the only ones?

In a public letter addressed to Rubio on Friday, Reps. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Lois Frankel, Ranking Member of the House National Security, Department of State and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Subcommittee Subcommittee , wrote: “United States foreign aid programs promote stability in other countries to prevent crises from spilling straight onto our doorstep.”

“Foreign aid is not a handout; it is a strategic investment in our future that is vital to our global leadership and a more resilient world,” they added. “It directly serves our national interests and demonstrates our credibility to allies, partners and vulnerable people who rely on U.S. assistance to survive.”

Camilla Schick contributed to this report.