We can’t imagine a country that is unable to conduct basic surveillance of a serious infectious disease, educate and test people, and link them to appropriate treatment or prevention, including PrEP. That is what would happen if the House Republican bill were to pass. Sadly, these proposals will just continue the instability in our nation’s HIV prevention programs, which are primarily conducted at the state and local levels. We urge Congress to reject them, as they did last year.
Trump Budget Ends All CDC HIV Prevention Programs, While Maintaining Care, Treatment, and PrEP
The Fiscal Year 2026 budget released by the Trump administration, which largely maintains funding for existing domestic HIV care, treatment, and PrEP programs, eliminates HIV prevention and surveillance at the CDC, housing, and other programs, amounting to cuts of over $1.5 billion.
House proposes to gut ending HIV programs—again
“Instead of providing new investments in ending HIV by increasing funding for testing, prevention programs, such as PrEP, and life-saving care and treatment, House Republicans are again choosing to go through a worthless exercise of cutting programs that the American people depend on and will never pass,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. “These were purposeful decisions that are well below the agreed-upon budget caps. While we will vigorously fight these cuts, we look forward to working with the entire Congress in a bipartisan fashion on spending bills that can actually become law.”
Senate appropriators maintain funding for domestic HIV programs
“While disappointed that Congress will not be providing the necessary funding to really end HIV or hepatitis in the United States, given the severe budget constraints, what the Senate has proposed will allow existing programs to at least continue,” Carl Schmid said. “However, it is up to the entire Congress, both the House and the Senate, to be responsible and agree upon our federal spending levels. The choices are very clear.”
House proposes to gut ending HIV programs
“While we appreciate the sustained funding for many domestic HIV and hepatitis programs, we are devastated by the proposal to virtually eliminate the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. “We were on a trajectory to end HIV by ensuring all people have access to care and treatment, and prevent new infections through increasing access to PrEP, but now all those efforts will be lost. This bill cannot stand as is.”