Congress should reject drastic cuts to HIV programs in president’s budget

The president’s FY 2026 budget request threatens to roll back decades of gains in HIV research and treatment, and HIVMA is urging Congress to reject the proposals. The cuts would come at a high cost, as HIVMA noted in a statement following the budget’s release last week.

“From small towns to big cities, every state across the country may lose lifesaving HIV prevention, testing and research programs,” HIVMA’s statement said. “The result will be more HIV infections nationwide, taking a devastating toll on health and the health care system.”
 
The proposal would cut funding for the Department of Health and Human Services by 26.2%, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 38.9% and for the National Institutes of Health by 38%. Funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration would be cut by 19.4%. The proposal also would significantly cut global health programs. 

While the proposal outlines the president’s priorities for Congress, final funding levels will be determined by Congress. HIVMA Chair Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH, FIDSA, testified before a House appropriations subcommittee in April in support of HIV funding. HIVMA has also submitted additional House testimony calling on lawmakers to sustain these programs and will be submitting Senate testimony as well. Members are encouraged to contact their representatives and organize locally to urge robust funding for HIV programs.

A separate statement from IDSA outlines the projected harm to ID programs.  
 
Federal HIV-related programs in the president’s FY 2026 budget

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program 

• Consolidate “activities that do not focus on core health care and support services, such as education and training (-$74 million)”
• Amount reflects the entire funding for Part F, suggesting the elimination of the AIDS Education and Training Centers, Special Projects of National Significance and the Dental Program 

CDC Opioid Epidemic and Infectious Diseases, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Prevention 

• Consolidate funding into one program funded at $300 million, $77 million less than the funding the individual programs currently receive

CDC HIV Prevention

• HIV prevention is not referenced in the proposal, which is concerning given the size of cuts at CDC and the consolidation of the opioid epidemic and ID, STI, viral hepatitis and TB programs   

National Institutes of Health

• Fund NIH at $27 billion, cutting $18 billion from biomedical research and eliminating the Fogarty International Center, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and the National Institute for Nursing Research 
• Funding levels for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases not included

Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative and Minority AIDS Initiative

• Not referenced in the budget proposal but slated for elimination in a leaked draft of the HHS budget  

Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS

• Consolidate program into the Emergency Shelter Grant program, making HOPWA a short-term housing program and capping eligibility for beneficiaries at two years
• Budget estimates not provided, but the policy changes are likely to come with funding cuts

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

• Funding cut by 14.3%
• Budget language suggests harm reduction services would no longer be supported

About HIVMA
The HIV Medicine Association is a community of more than 6,000 health care professionals who advance a comprehensive and humane response to the HIV pandemic, informed by science and social justice. HIVMA is part of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.