WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) made the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s reported plan to slash over $40 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services and eliminate all dedicated domestic HIV prevention programs: 

"It is unconscionable that the Trump Administration has proposed cutting over a third of the Department of Health and Human Services’ budget. As a proud, longtime champion for federal HIV prevention and assistance programs, I am appalled that the Administration’s proposed budget would eliminate all federal HIV prevention efforts and devastate funding for HIV research. This is yet another exceptionally cruel and reckless move by the Trump Administration, and it would have devastating consequences for our nation’s public health.

"Over a million people in this country are living with HIV/AIDS, including more than 100,000 in New York State and over 60,000 in New York City alone. Young people, gay and bisexual men, and people of color are being disproportionately affected. Eliminating our nation’s HIV/AIDS prevention programs would mean many of the most vulnerable among us would lose access to HIV testing, prevention, and care. Simply put, Americans will die as a direct result of the Trump Administration’s cuts.

"Trump’s budget proposal would eliminate the Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Initiative, the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, and the Minority AIDS Initiative. It also eviscerates funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program and slashes the NIH’s budget by 40%. NIH funds the vast majority of research driving breakthroughs in HIV treatment. Trump’s proposed budget cuts compound Republican proposals to slash Medicaid in the upcoming budget reconciliation process, as 40% of adults with HIV are covered by Medicaid.

"We’ve seen this kind of cruelty before. In the 1980s, we had a President who ignored an epidemic and a Congress reluctant to devote resources to finding its cure. The federal government turned its back on people fighting HIV/AIDS, and as a result, we lost a generation of young men and women far too soon. Nearly half a century later, the Administration has put forth a budget proposal that once again abandons Americans who are fighting HIV/AIDS.

"However, Trump can’t unilaterally make these cuts; he needs the consent of Congress. I vow to continue to fight for full funding for our nation’s HIV/AIDS prevention and research programs in the congressional appropriations process. I’ve led the congressional effort to increase funding for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program, or HOPWA, for over 3 decades. Since its inception in 1992, HOPWA has provided critical housing support to low-income people living with HIV. Linking individuals living with HIV to stable, supportive housing leads to an 80% reduction in mortality from AIDS.

"New York has always led the fight against HIV/AIDS, and we will not turn our backs now. It is up to this Congress to ensure that Trump’s devastating cuts never become reality. Congress must summon the resolve of the generations who came before us—activists like the founders of ACT UP and Gay Men’s Health Crisis—and fight with everything we have to protect the progress we’ve made."

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