UPDATE: More than 3,000 individuals and 119 organizations have signed the online petition urging members of Congress to preserve federal funding for HIV programs, according to PrEP4All. Although the letter has been sent to Congress, with the budget process expected to continue into 2025, the petition will remain open for more signatures.
A group of HIV advocates has launched a social media-based campaign to raise public awareness and lobby members of Congress as a federal budget proposal aims to slash $700 million from HIV programs—including eliminating funding for the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. The fiscal 2025 House appropriations bill is set to go up for a vote before the end of year, during the lame duck session of Congress. The advocates warn that communities of color and other groups most impacted by HIV would be hardest hit by the cutbacks.
In addition to ending EHE funding, the proposal would:
- eliminate funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- cut 33% from the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund
In response, a group of advocates has unveiled #SaveHIVFunding. Led in part by the national PrEP advocacy organization PrEP4All, the campaign features an array of assets—social media images and posts that are available for download with a link to an online petition to members of Congress.
Among the sample posts and tweets included:
Black and Latinx people continue to be most affected by HIV, yet Congress is proposing over $700M in funding cuts to HIV resources needed by those most disproportionately impacted. Tell your representatives in Congress to #SaveHIVFunding.
In a statement, the advocates said, “Proposed budget cuts are shortsighted—rather than invest in prevention and treatment, the proposal will eliminate resources, resulting in more new cases of HIV, bad outcomes for people living with HIV, increased medical costs for the healthcare system, and increased deaths from HIV. HIV funding has a high return on investment in terms of improving health and reducing costs. We must ensure ongoing funding for key support services.”
Established in 2019 under the first administration of President Donald Trump, the EHE initiative focuses on 57 jurisdictions—seven states, 48 counties and the cities of Washington, D.C. and San Juan, Puerto Rico—that account for over half of new HIV cases. The initiative’s goal is to reduce the number of new HIV cases by at least 90% by 2030. Advocates say that EHE has helped result in a 16% reduction in new HIV cases in those jurisdictions since 2017.
EHE has enjoyed bipartisan support, as have other federal programs such as Ryan White and PEPFAR, the U.S.’s international HIV response credited with saving 23 million lives since it was started in 2003 under President George W. Bush. The fact that increasingly conservative Republicans are showing little support for HIV programs begun by presidents from their own party has some activists especially concerned.
Ending EHE funding would have broad and direct impacts on HIV prevention efforts throughout the U.S., especially in communities most impacted by HIV.
“As an advocate and PrEP user for almost a decade, I’ve seen PrEP reduce HIV-related stigma and shame in my community, while also encouraging PrEP users to engage in other healthcare services such as primary care, mental health, and substance use treatment,” said Michael Chancley, PrEP4All’s communications and mobilization director. “PrEP care also encourages engagement in preventative health services for other emerging outbreaks and pandemics such as mpox, COVID-19, and STIs.
Chancley added, “According to the CDC, only 14% of Black people who could benefit from PrEP are using it. Funding cuts to the Ending the Epidemic initiative, which has traditionally gotten bipartisan support, would negatively impact not only health and support services, but also crucial education and awareness to communities most in need of PrEP.”
Kevin Chadwin Davis takes PrEP and is a PrEP advocate. He described what losing EHE funding would mean to some of the organizations he’s worked with. “In Dallas, cutting PrEP funding would severely impact organizations like Abounding Prosperity, the Center for Health Empowerment, and Prism Health North Texas, which rely on EHE funding to provide life-saving PrEP services,” he said. “These agencies are essential for expanding access to PrEP in underserved areas like South Dallas, focusing on Black and Brown communities and uninsured individuals. A loss of this funding would significantly reduce their ability to deliver affordable or no-cost PrEP services, leaving many without the resources needed to prevent HIV.”
Davis also described specific impacts in Detroit. “Cutting PrEP funding would critically undermine organizations such as UNIFIED/Vivent Health, Matrix Human Services, and Corktown Health, all of which depend on EHE funding to provide accessible and equitable PrEP services. These agencies serve uninsured and underserved populations, addressing key barriers like stigma, transportation, and a lack of culturally competent care. Without EHE funding, their ability to offer these vital services would be drastically reduced, leading to higher rates of new HIV cases and worsening healthcare disparities in Detroit.”
The advocates’ campaign is focusing on the social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram of key lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. Among those in the Senate are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-California), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (R-Illinois), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Washington State), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota).
House members include House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana, 4th), Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama, 4th), Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma, 4th), Barbara Lee (D-Texas, 12th), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey, 12th), Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut, 3rd) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY, 8th).
Among the dozens of organizations taking part in the campaign are AIDS United, AIDS Alabama, AVAC, Callen-Lorde, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, HealthHIV, the HIV+Hep Policy Institute, the HIV Medicine Association, IAPAC, the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, NMAC, Project VIDA, Thrive SS and Treatment Action Group (TAG).
The #SaveHIVFunding social media toolkit can be found at docs.google.com/document/d/1EZDyoRc5ixA6wAYoxkcqMxBI-Ydx7OBvcm7fXb7GoOE/edit?usp=sharing