Local Reaction to Trump Administration’s Pull Back on Support for HIV Prevention Efforts

Since 1981, HIV has led to the deaths of more than 700,000 people in the US. More than 1.2 million Americans now live with HIV, according to federal statistics. About 13% of people who have HIV don’t know they have it — one driver of the virus’ continuing spread.

Ending AIDS in the United States by 2030 was one of President Donald Trump’s stated priorities in his 2019 State of the Union speech, but the second Trump administration has hinted that it will make major cuts to HIV-related projects.

The administration is considering a plan to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s division focused on HIV prevention and potentially move its responsibilities over to another department within the Department of Health and Human Services, as first reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The plan to eliminate the CDC’s Division on HIV Prevention is still in the “very, very preliminary stages,” a source familiar with the plans told NBC News, and no final call has been made yet.

The NIH has eliminated funding for dozens of HIV-related research grants, according to a US Department of Health and Human Services database that was updated last week, halting studies and threatening patient care across the country. Several researchers said the cuts put a stop to hopes of ending HIV in the US and around the world.

More than 100 lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the US Senate are calling on the Trump administration to maintain federal HIV/AIDS services, including New York Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Republic Congressman Mike Lawler of NY’s 17th District.

These reports have also sparked widespread concern among public health experts and advocacy groups.

Doug Wirth, CEO of Amida Care, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing health care services to people living with HIV, warns of the severe consequences it could have for both prevention efforts and the communities most at risk.

Image: HIV testing and screening are important first steps in diagnosing infection. (Credit: CDC)