Current Affairs

Trump budget plans would slash HIV/AIDS funding

Feb 13 2018
Written by Nick Duffy

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with state and local officials to unveil his administration's long-awaited infrastructure plan in the State Dining Room at the White House February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. The $1.5 trillion plan to repair and rebuild the nation's crumbling highways, bridges, railroads, airports, seaports and water systems is funded with $200 million in federal money with the remaining 80 percent coming from state and local governments. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Donald Trump’s budget plans include a massive slash to HIV funding.

The GOP billionaire has come under fire from LGBT groups following the release of his 2019 budget plans released on Monday.

The budget includes cuts to domestic HIV/AIDS programs, despite the growing needs, including elimination of Special Programs of National Significance (SPNS).

Meanwhile the plan includes a cut of over a billion in funding for global HIV programs.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, issued the following statement in response to the Trump-Pence Administration’s dangerous and irresponsible FY 2019 proposed budget.

US President Donald Trump (Photo by Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/Getty Images)

David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director, said: “Budgets reflect your values. The Trump-Pence budget released today shows a callous disregard for critical programs that impact LGBTQ Americans.

“The elimination or slashing of programs related to the Affordable Care Act, HIV/AIDS, and international humanitarian projects are a direct threat to the safety and well-being of LGBTQ people here and around the world. Congress must reject these harmful proposals.”

Asia Russell, Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), said: “President Trump’s proposal to cut over a billion dollars from the U.S. global HIV response in fiscal year 2019 shows how very out of touch he is with the American people and their values.

“Americans from across the political spectrum and every part of the country support the U.S. government’s long-standing leadership in funding life-saving HIV treatment and prevention programs in sub-Saharan Africa and across the developing world.

“If this budget passes as proposed, Donald Trump’s legacy will be millions of new and unnecessary infections and deaths – and a massive resurgence in the AIDS pandemic.

US President Donald Trump (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

“This is not a time to back down. U.S. funding for global AIDS programs has been critical in reducing deaths and new infections to the point where defeating AIDS is within reach. But after several years of flat funding from Congress, the response is running out of gas. At the very moment we should be on the brink of ending AIDS, Trump’s deadly budget would shift the global AIDS response into reverse.

“Congress should treat this proposal the way they treated the President’s first budget – by declaring it dead on arrival. Instead, Congress should uphold American leadership in the fight against HIV by providing urgently-needed funding increases for PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the coming fiscal year.”

The budget claims: “At the funding level requested in the Budget, the United States would provide sufficient resources to maintain all current patient levels
on HIV/AIDS treatment.

“U.S. efforts to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic are a direct reflection of U.S. leadership abroad and the goodwill, compassion, and generosity of the American people.”

Trump recently decided to dismiss the entirety of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

All members of the council were informed of their dismissal by a letter sent via courier.

Six people had already resigned from the Council en masse in June, saying that Trump and his administration “do not care” about the cause.

The move came after the quiet closure of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, which was shuttered as part of the Presidential transition and never re-opened as Trump failed to appoint a new director.

The White House was slammed by GLAAD over its inaction.

GLAAD tweeted: “It’s time to stop being dismissive of questions about the firing of members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS. It’s time for this administration to prioritize issues related to HIV and AIDS.”

Chicago-based HIV activist Scott A Schoettes, a former member of the council, previously laid into the decision.

He tweeted: “Remaining #HIV/AIDS council members booted by @realDonaldTrump. No respect for their service. Dangerous that #Trump and Co. (Pence esp.) are eliminating few remaining people willing to push back against harmful policies, like abstinence-only sex ed.”

Mr Schoettes accused Trump of “executing a purge” by eliminating the council in combination with other policies. It was reported earlier this month that federal agencies had been banned from using the word ‘transgender’.

In an open letter, the six members of the council who had already quit explained that they had dedicated their lives to fighting HIV and AIDS, but felt that the Trump administration was preventing them from doing this successfully.

They wrote: “As advocates for people living with HIV, we have dedicated our lives to combating this disease and no longer feel we can do so effectively within the confines of an advisory body to a president who simply does not care.”

“The Trump Administration has no strategy to address the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic, seeks zero input from experts to formulate HIV policy, and—most concerning—pushes legislation that will harm people living with HIV and halt or reverse important gains made in the fight against this disease.”

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a group of families, Young Republicans and College Republicans at the White House, while speaking about how planned tax reforms would benefit middle class families . (Photo by Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)

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While Democratic candidates for President Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both met with HIV advocates and proposed an action plan on the issue, Donald Trump did not.

The letter also raised objection to Trump’s healthcare policies.

The letter stated: “We know who the biggest losers will be if states are given the option of eliminating essential health benefits or allowing insurers to charge people with HIV substantially more than others.

“It will be people—many of them people of color—across the South and in rural and underserved areas across the country, the regions and communities now at the epicentre of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“It will be young gay and bisexual men; it will be women of colour; it will be transgender women; it will be low-income people. It will be people who become newly infected in an uncontrolled epidemic, new cases that could be prevented by appropriate care for those already living with the disease.”

The group concluded the letter by saying that the resignation was not an easy decision, but one that must be made.

“The decision to resign from government service is not one that any of us take lightly. However, we cannot ignore the many signs that the Trump Administration does not take the on-going epidemic or the needs of people living with HIV seriously.”

Former President George W Bush previously issued a public warning to Donald Trump over proposals that would slash the budget for the US government’s HIV/AIDS programmes.

(Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg-Pool/Getty Images)

The bulk of the cuts are proposed to the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was set up by former President George W Bush to tackle the AIDS crisis, and is one of the largest providers of funding for global projects battling the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Former President Bush, who is often praised for setting up PEPFAR despite his broadly regressive stances on LGBT issues, penned an op-ed for the Washington Post warning against any cuts.

He wrote: “My administration launched PEPFAR in 2003 to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic that threatened to wipe out an entire generation on the continent of Africa. Nearly 15 years later, the program has achieved remarkable results in the fight against

“Nearly 15 years later, the program has achieved remarkable results in the fight against disease. Today, because of the commitment of many foreign governments, investments by partners, the resilience of the African people and the generosity of the American people, nearly 12 million lives have been saved.

He added: “As the executive and legislative branches review the federal budget, they will have vigorous debates about how best to spend taxpayers’ money — and they should.

“Some will argue that we have enough problems at home and shouldn’t spend money overseas. I argue that we shouldn’t spend money on programs that don’t work, whether at home or abroad.

“But they should fully fund programs that have proven to be efficient, effective and results-oriented.

“Saving nearly 12 million lives is proof that PEPFAR works, and I urge our government to fully fund it. We are on the verge of an AIDS-free generation, but the people of Africa still need our help.

“The American people deserve credit for this tremendous success and should keep going until the job is done.”

President Obama also previously warned about the importance of maintaining funding for HIV/AIDS projects.

Trump has made offensive comments about HIV/AIDS in the past.

In a radio interview months after the deaths of influential AIDS activist Princess Diana, Trump joked about “nailing” her – but only after forcing her to take an HIV test.

The interview with Howard Stern took place in November 1997, just 65 days after the Princess had died in a tragic car crash.

Stern asked Trump: “Why do people think it’s egotistical of you to say you could’ve gotten with Lady Di? “You could’ve gotten her, right? You could’ve nailed her.”

Without hesitation, Trump responded: “I think I could have.”