Zero Out the Epidemic—Not the Budget

The U.S. has achieved significant progress in ending the HIV epidemic—a steady decrease in annual new infections, expanded access to HIV prevention tools like PrEP—but those gains are in danger of being reversed. A proposed FY24 appropriations bill introduced to the House of Representatives severely cuts HIV spending—by over half a billion dollars.

Along with eliminating the budget for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE), the House bill also calls for cuts to programs with proven track records of success: the Ryan White Program, Minority HIV/AIDS Funds, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, and CDC- and NIH-funded HIV vaccine and cure research, among others.

In response, amfAR and Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA) analyzed HIV and funding data and created an infographic that outlines the proposed cuts, what initiatives like EHE have accomplished, and what’s at stake if the cuts are approved—fewer people knowing their status, lower treatment coverage, lower viral suppression, and an increase of new infections among people living with or at risk of HIV.

“We will not stand by while hard-won gains fighting HIV are torn down so cavalierly…this is what happens when a previously bipartisan health issue falls prey to the latest ideological tug-of-war,” said Greg Millett, MPH, vice president and director of amfAR’s public policy office.

Read the infographic below to learn more about the issue and click here for a social media toolkit if you’d like to help amplify these messages. For more information, click here.

---