Save HIV Funding

Last year, we saw the HIV community mobilize to #SaveHIVFunding in the face of an unprecedented proposed $767 million in HIV funding cuts by the LHHS Subcommittee in the House of Representatives for FY 2024, including to the Ryan White Program and the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative (EHE). With key deadlines in the FY24 budget process quickly approaching, it is more important now than ever that you join us in telling Congress to reject cuts and #SaveHIVFunding by sending letters to your representatives here. We urge Congress to pass funding for HIV programs from the bipartisan Senate FY24 Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriation bill without harmful policy riders that would limit or prevent delivery of these and other critical health services. We also call for the continued funding of the Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program within the T-HUD bill.

The House bill also proposes to drastically cut funding for the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, which seeks to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in HIV. The bill would completely eliminate funding for Minority AIDS Initiative Funding within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and cuts the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund by 53%. 

Together, these funding cuts would eliminate all activities of the EHE, reverse recent progress in bringing down new HIV cases, and leave state and local health departments and community-based organizations without needed funding to provide services to their community. With 70% of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV projected to be 50 and older by 2030, the impact on the aging HIV community would be particularly severe. In contrast, the Senate bipartisan spending bill proposes to maintain HIV funding for FY24 and includes a proposed increase of $3 million dollars to continue the fight to end the epidemic and begin work toward a National PrEP Program.  

This is why the 113 advocacy organizations listed below have launched the #SaveHIVFunding campaign - to gather support from community, advocates, and leaders in Congress to oppose these cuts, advocate for robust FY24 funding, and urge Congress to honor the bipartisan commitment to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030. The movement to end the HIV epidemic cannot survive such drastic cuts, and HIV historically has been a bipartisan issue, including the EHE initiative which was launched under the Trump Administration in 2019. 

Please help us push Congress to pass a final FY24 spending bill that rejects cuts to HIV programs and instead would #SaveHIVFunding by sending letters to your Senators and Representative now! Please also review the #SaveHIVFunding social media toolkit that you and your organization can use to urge our leaders in Congress to #SaveHIVFunding.