Washington DC - The chief science officer for the US government's flagship program to combat AIDS has resigned, citing President Donald Trump's authoritarian administration.

Mike Reid, the chief science officer for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), strongly critized the Trump administration's foreign aid policy in a Substack article on Monday.

Reid said that he had continued to serve for the past 18 months "because it felt like something worth preserving (perhaps everything) was at risk," but that he had now reached a "limit."

Established in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush, PEPFAR provides life-saving treatment, testing, and care for millions of HIV/AIDS patients around the world, with particular focus on developing nations in Africa.

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In his Substack post, Reid accused the Trump administration of taking an "authoritarian" approach to foreign aid, and using it as a method to exert control over less powerful countries.

"Global health rests on the equal value of human lives, on dignity, and on solidarity across borders," Reid wrote. "Done right, it is inherently anti-fascist."

"It cannot be separated from the broader political context in which it operates. In that sense, it is fundamentally incompatible with political movements that erode those same principles domestically."

"I no longer trust myself to continue this work without accommodating changes that I believe are fundamentally at odds with its purpose," Reid said.

In a statement to Reuters, a State Department spokesperson said that Reid had departed after he "admitted he could no longer provide nonpartisan scientific advice."

"As in every administration, the president and his team set policy, and it is the duty of every person affiliated with the department to faithfully execute that policy."