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The U.S. government said it will begin a phased withdrawal of funding for HIV and AIDS programs in South Africa, which has more than 8 million people living with HIV, the highest total of any country.

Until 2025, the U.S. provided an estimated $400 million a year through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), about a fifth of South Africa’s HIV-program spending.

The official said the goal was to “foster self-reliance” and reduce dependence on U.S. funding, adding that “South Africa is a middle-income country and is more than capable of supporting its own health programs.”

South Africa’s Health Ministry said it had not been informed of the decision, but said it had “long been working on a self-reliance plan.” The ministry also said life-saving antiretroviral drugs were funded separately, mostly by the South African government.

The funding decision came as relations between Washington and Pretoria deteriorated after President Donald Trump took office. A White House executive order said South African policies had dismantled equal opportunity and fueled violence “against racially disfavored landowners.” South Africa rejected that claim and said its Black Economic Empowerment policy was intended to address inequality rooted in apartheid.

The order also cited South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and its ties to Iran. The White House said that because of these “unjust and immoral practices,” further aid would not be provided.

Trump has also said there is a “white genocide” in South Africa. His administration set up a refugee program for Afrikaners, descendants of Western Europeans who settled in southern Africa in the 17th century.

PEPFAR funding had received a temporary reprieve last October under a “bridge plan.” Efforts to improve ties have struggled, including a White House meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa more than a year ago, and a U.S. boycott of the G20 meeting hosted by South Africa last November.

The United States on Thursday opened an investigation into Germany’s pharmaceutical pricing policies, a step that could lead to new tariffs.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the probe would determine whether “persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products by Germany is unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts US commerce.”

The investigation was launched under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. It followed similar Trump administration trade probes in recent months involving dozens of trading partners over issues including forced labor and industrial overcapacity.

In a Federal Register notice, the U.S. trade office said “evidence indicates that Germany implements unfair pricing policies and practices with regard to innovative pharmaceutical products.”

The notice said the lower revenue tied to those policies appeared to contribute to reduced investment in research and development. “As a result, the United States pays a disproportionate share of global R&D costs for innovative pharmaceuticals,” it said.

The probe will examine how Germany carries out its pricing policies.

“President (Donald) Trump has made clear that American patients should not be shouldering a disproportionate share of global pharmaceutical research and development,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

Greer also cited concerns about Germany’s plans to fast-track legislation “that would further reduce its spending on innovative pharmaceuticals.”

The trade office will accept public comments and hold a hearing in September as part of the investigation.