Statement on reported cuts & changes to CDC HIV prevention programs

Washington DC… In reaction to media reports that the Trump administration is considering eliminating all CDC domestic HIV funding or transferring its programs to another federal agency, such as the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, issued the following statement:

“President Trump during his first term initiated the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, an historic effort to end HIV in the US by 2030.  HHS Secretary Kennedy has stated on the record as part of his confirmation process that he “look[s] forward to continuing the good work that President Trump did in his pursuit to eradicate HIV/AIDS” and that “HHS will support all appropriate prevention programs, including those which include pre-exposure prophylaxis.”

We cannot end HIV without a fully functioning and sufficiently funded HIV prevention program.  If the administration has new ideas on how to conduct HIV prevention, including testing, surveillance, education and PrEP outreach, we are more than willing to discuss them.  While we are making progress in reducing the number of new cases, and saving billions of dollars in the process, we must do better—32,000 new infections each year is far too many.  But we cannot unilaterally cut the funding that Congress has appropriated and that states, local governments, and community-based organizations rely on to carry out their public health responsibilities to address HIV and other infectious diseases.  Without those federal resources, the number of new cases and the lifetime costs of treating them will just, sadly, multiply.

With new long-acting PrEP drugs on the horizon, now is not the time to totally disrupt the system but a time to redouble our efforts to prevent HIV.  President Trump was right, we can end HIV, but we need the right policies and funded programs in place to make that a reality.

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The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote quality and affordable healthcare for people living with or at risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other serious and chronic health conditions.