House FY 2027 Labor-HHS bill continues assault on HIV programs

The FY 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill and accompanying report, advanced by the House Appropriations Committee June 9 again proposes severe cuts to federal HIV programs. While it does not go as far as the FY 2026 House proposal, it represents a serious threat to the nation’s ability to end HIV as an epidemic.

The bill strips critical parts of the Ryan White Program, eliminates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s global and domestic HIV prevention programs, and proposes to block grant and cut funding for sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis, and opioids and infectious diseases. In a bright spot, the bill would provide a modest increase for the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

Funding levels for key public health, research and HIV-related programs in the FY 2027 House funding bill include: 

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
The bill would cut $224.9 million from the FY 2026 enacted level for the program including:

• The elimination of two-Part F programs, the AIDS Education and Training Centers and Special Projects of National Significance, as well as the Ryan White Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative  
• Level-funding for Ryan White Program Parts A, B, C and D and Part F (dental) despite an urgent need for new resources to meet the increased demand for HIV care and treatment  

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
The bill proposes a $1.039 billion cut below the FY 2026 enacted level for CDC overall. Within CDC, prevention programs for HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases bear the brunt of the cuts, including:  

• The elimination of the Domestic HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, funded at $755.6 million in FY 2026
• The block granting of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Infectious Diseases and Opioids Programs at $209 million, a decrease of $24.3 million from FY 2026 funding levels for the three programs
• The elimination of the Global HIV/AIDS Program, funded at $128.9 million in FY 2026
• The elimination of the Global TB Program, funded at $11.7 million in FY 2026 

Under the bill, CDC’s EHE initiative would be level-funded; however, the companion Ryan White EHE allocation has been eliminated, and the broader HIV prevention infrastructure on which EHE relied has been stripped away. CDC’s Tuberculosis Prevention funding also would be maintained at the FY 2026 level.

National Institutes of Health 

• NIH would be funded at $47.3 billion, a $100 million increase over FY 2026, with an $18.5 million increase for the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The bill notes the value of continuing HIV vaccine research.

Minority AIDS Initiative

• The bill also would eliminate the Minority AIDS Initiative within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, with the secretary’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund funded at $20 million, a decrease of $36 million below the FY 2026 level.

See IDSA’s release for more information on funding for ID programs.

Next steps
The Senate will draft its own FY 2027 Labor-HHS bill, and the final enacted funding levels will be determined through negotiations between the two chambers. 

HIVMA calls on the Senate to fund the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, including AETC and SPNS, at levels that meet patient need and support a robust HIV workforce; fully fund  CDC’s core domestic and global HIV prevention programs; and reject the block grant structure and the cut to STI, viral hepatitis, and infectious diseases and opioid programs.

About HIVMA
The HIV Medicine Association is a community of nearly 6,000 health care professionals who advance a comprehensive and humane response to the HIV pandemic, informed by science and social justice. HIVMA works to increase access to health care services and coverage for people with HIV and populations heavily impacted by HIV and to foster a robust, diverse and culturally competent HIV workforce. HIVMA is part of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Visit hivma.org to learn more.