The Republican-controlled Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has unveiled its Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill, which proposes dramatic cuts to domestic HIV prevention, treatment, and care programs.
This bill seeks to slash funding by at least $1.7 billion, a figure significantly greater than the cuts to HIV funding proposed by President Donald Trump during his administration.
Among the most concerning provisions is the total elimination of federal funding for all HIV prevention programs across the United States.
The bill would also dismantle the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative program, which was championed by Trump himself during his first term.
Carl Schmidt, executive director of the D.C.-based HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, expressed grave concerns over the proposal, stating, “This is not a bill for making America healthy again, but a disastrous bill that will reignite HIV in the United States.”
In his September 1 statement, Schmidt urged Congress to reject these “reckless cuts,” emphasizing that eliminating all HIV prevention would endanger crucial state and local testing and surveillance programs, educational initiatives, and access to lifesaving care and treatment, including PrEP.
He warned that such decisions could lead to a worrying increase in new HIV infections, which would ultimately be more expensive to treat in the long run.
“At a time when we have the tools to prevent HIV, including new long-acting forms of PrEP, we must not abandon the bipartisan progress our nation has made in combating HIV,” he added.
The proposed funding cuts also include a $525 million reduction—equivalent to 20 percent—of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Program.
If passed, the legislation would eliminate the entire $1 billion in prevention funding currently allotted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including $220 million tied to the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative.
Schmidt highlighted that nearly 90 percent of this funding is vital for state and local health departments, particularly in Southern states that face significant HIV-related challenges and lack dedicated funding.
Additionally, the House committee’s proposal aligns with the president’s budget suggestion to cut $43 million in dedicated funding for hepatitis prevention at the CDC.
Instead, the committee proposes a $353 million block grant to states, which would also cover STD and tuberculosis prevention.
While this figure represents an increase of $53 million compared to the president’s allocation, it still indicates a combined reduction of $24 million, according to Schmidt.
He stressed the need for augmented funding for hepatitis, asserting, “If the country is serious about addressing chronic health conditions, we should be increasing funding so that people with hepatitis can be identified through testing and linked to treatment, and in the case of hepatitis C, a cure.”
The proposal from the House Appropriations Committee comes after a bipartisan FY 2026 budget bill released by the U.S. Senate earlier this year, which aims to maintain current funding levels for domestic HIV programs.
Should the House committee advance its proposed budget bill, the funding provisions will require reconciliation with the Senate’s version, followed by a vote by the full Congress.
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