By Michael Katz
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has threatened to sink two ambassadorial nominations unless the Trump administration releases money that Congress appropriated for a global AIDS initiative.
In the past year, the administration has significantly reconfigured and reduced U.S. commitment to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The administration temporarily halted distribution of nearly all foreign aid at the start of 2025 before restoring funding for what it classified as “lifesaving” aid such as PEPFAR.
Aid groups that receive PEPFAR funding have reported that grants are still often delayed or canceled, causing cuts to clinics and services. PEPFAR was established by President George W. Bush in 2003.
Cornyn, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated on Tuesday that he would not support committee action on Kari Lake’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica or Doug Mastriano’s bid to become U.S. ambassador to Slovakia without confirmation that the administration will release the congressionally appropriated PEPFAR funds.
The committee is scheduled to consider the nominations of Lake and Mastriano at a hearing set for Wednesday.
“The only way it seems like you can get the administration’s attention on some of these funding issues is by using the leverage to withhold votes on nominees,” Cornyn said. “We are going to use the committee vote tomorrow as a way to … get the money distributed the way Congress appropriated it.”
With Republicans holding a 12-10 majority on the committee, Cornyn could block the nominations by voting no if all Democrats follow suit. With full committee attendance, a tie vote would result in the nominations failing, although Cornyn indicated he believes “he will not be alone” among Republicans taking such a stand.
Cornyn also stated he would vote against Lake and Mastriano if they were approved by the committee.
The standoff marks another public break between Cornyn and the Trump administration after President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the incumbent senator in this year’s Republican primary runoff, where Paxton went on to defeat Cornyn for the GOP nomination.
Cornyn informed Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, that he would vote against Lake and Mastriano unless PEPFAR funding is released. The administration has not commented on the matter.
Cornyn estimated that about $1.3 billion is ready to be released immediately. He requested more details on the roughly $10 billion Congress has appropriated for the program over the past two fiscal years.
A report last month indicated the Trump administration is phasing out PEPFAR funding in South Africa, home to approximately 7.8 million people living with HIV—the world’s largest HIV-positive population according to World Health Organization data.
Cornyn emphasized the funds’ importance for two reasons: saving lives and maintaining U.S. influence in Africa, where Russia and China are competing for influence.
“This is one of the really important elements of our soft power,” Cornyn said. “America needs friends in Africa. Not only is it the right thing to do from a compassionate point of view, but it’s also in our self-interest to make sure this money is used to promote American soft power and to build those friendships.”
