Senate Republicans reached an agreement with the White House on Tuesday to preserve funding for a flagship global HIV and AIDS relief program known as PEPFAR, backing off a proposed $400 million cut that had drawn sharp opposition from within their own ranks and threatened to derail President Donald Trump’s sweeping package of spending rescissions.

The proposed cuts have caused concerns among some Senate Republicans, including Utah Sen. John Curtis, who may consider removing that provision from the final package.

Republicans in the US Senate have said they will spare the US-backed HIV/Aids programme Pepfar from cuts, amid a larger effort to reduce government spending. Senators said they would end a plan to cut $400m (£300m) from the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief programme, leaving total proposed cuts at $9bn.