Prior to a procedural vote Tuesday to begin debate on the $9.4 billion package, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said that the White House had agreed to an amendment to the bill that would exempt the HIV/AIDS relief program.

The deal would shield PEPFAR from the Trump Administration’s plan to cancel billions in previously approved but unspent federal funds. The decision came after several Republican senators objected to including the widely celebrated HIV/AIDS initiative in a list of programs targeted for clawbacks under Trump’s campaign to root out what he has called “ waste,

A bill striking billions in foreign aid will get slightly smaller after Republicans agreed to exempt $400 million in funding for AIDS prevention, a major concession to centrists wavering on the White House request.