Republican leaders are hoping to pass the rescission package before they depart for their August recess.

The White House agreed on Tuesday to advance a rescissions package that will exempt the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the global HIV/AIDS funding program created by George W. Bush in 2003, from the legislation’s targeted spending cuts. That decision removes about $400,000 in PEPFAR cuts from the package, bringing the rescissions package to around $9 billion in cuts.

“There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we’re fine with that,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought told reporters Tuesday after a Senate Republican luncheon. “It’s substantially the same package and the Senate has to work its will and we’ve appreciated the work along the way to get to a place where they’ve got the votes.”

Following their mid-summer legislative success in passing this month’s reconciliation package, congressional Republican leaders are hoping to pass the rescission package before they depart for their August recess.

In coordination with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the administration’s decision to greenlight a package that does not include major cuts to PEPFAR is expected to make the legislation more palatable to on-the-fence lawmakers such as centrist Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Senate GOP leaders have long prioritized codifying many of the administration’s spending cuts through a rescissions package but have faced pushback from some Senate Republicans who are concerned about cuts to the global HIV/AIDS funding program and public broadcasting.

Concern about PEPFAR follows a series of State Department cuts to many programs, which administration officials insist were targeted toward left-leaning projects and rooting out administrative bloat.

“Limited program cuts targeted LGBTQ education and capacity building—not core life-saving care,” a senior administration official told National Review, adding that the administration is “already working with countries and other partners to ensure that they shoulder a greater share of the burden where they can. We continue to make targeted investments in mother-to-child prevention, and other key areas of focus. “

The White House maintains that under direction from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, PEPFAR continues to provide HIV testing, care, and treatment services, as well as mother-to-child transmission healthcare services as it has in years past.

“In addition, the Secretary has approved the release of $1.3 billion in funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, of which at least 60 percent will be used for the purchase of anti-retrovirals and other commodities,” the administration official added. “But Secretary Rubio has kept life-saving and high-impact aid programs ongoing, with cuts targeting wasteful DEI programs, capacity building, waste and bloat at the United Nations and left-wing NGOs and other activities that saved no lives.”