House LHHS Appropriations Bill Harmful to the HIV Response

HIVMA is deeply concerned by the impact the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill would have on our ability to respond to the HIV epidemic and other infectious diseases in the U.S. The bill advanced by the House Appropriations LHHS subcommittee on July 14 would withdraw much needed support for public health, biomedical research and federal HIV prevention, and care and treatment programs, putting our nation’s health and health security at risk and reverse gains made in responding to the HIV epidemic.

The House bill would decrease funding for the Department of Health and Human Services by 12% and funding for the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention by 18%, would eliminate 61 programs and  appears to virtually eliminate funding for the bipartisan Ending the HIV Epidemic initiated launched by the Trump Administration. Cuts to key federal HIV programs include:

•  $238.5 million from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program;
• The elimination of funding for the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative at CDC;
• $220 million from the CDC National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STDs and TB;
• $32 million cut from the Minority HIV Fund;
• $3.8 billion cut from the National Institutes of Health, including $1.5 billion from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

HIVMA calls on the Senate to sustain our nation’s bipartisan commitment to ending HIV as an epidemic in the U.S. by preserving funding for these essential programs, including investing in expanding HIV PrEP access.