Background Information - Quick Facts

The Trump administration has cut funding to HIV/AIDS programs, despite ending HIV being a campaign promise.

The Funding Cuts have already had a major impact abroad.

Pin in Haiti: PEPFAR-supported sites cover 80% of PrEP patients nationwide. Without this key service, the National HIV Program (NAC) foresees a monthly rise of 30 to 50% in new HIV infections
Pin in South Africa: More than 40 USAID-funded health projects in South Africa were terminated. This led to the laying off of almost 8,493 staff involved in fighting HIV in the nation.
Pin in Peru: In Peru, cuts have led to access to PrEP services and HIV Treatment being reduced with many government employees laid off.

A United Nations report explained that if the money isn’t replaced, more than 4 million people could die of AIDS by 2029 and 6 million more could become infected with HIV.

And the funding cuts are just as damaging here at home.

Pin in Maryland: NIH Cancels over 200 funded research projects.
Pin in North Carolina: Duke lost over 129 million in funding going to development of a new HIV drug.
Pin in Atlanta, Georgia: CDC has faced major impacts - having to lay off workers from HIV departments after facing cuts.
Pin in Midwest: Cuts to Medicaid enrollment is threatening millions of Americans access to HIV testing and treatment services.

Why are there Funding Cuts?

Matching

You Heard it Here First: Four Decades of HIV Policy from Reagan to Trump
A comprehensive timeline of bipartisan HIV/AIDS policy development
(1985-2025)

Click Here To Take A Look

Why Is There So Little Support for the HIV Community?

Different parts of the brain explore the reasoning behind neglect, defunding, and harm.

This region is known as the prefrontal cortex, which plays a central role in complex decision-making, including the influence of personal and systemic biases. Bias is a significant psychological factor contributing to funding cuts. HIV disproportionately affects minority populations, such as Latinx and African Americans account for approximately 70% of all cases. These funding reductions reflect a longstanding devaluation of minority health concerns, which has become more visible under Trump-era policies that actively dismantled DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives.

The amygdala is the brain region responsible for processing fear. Politicians have strategically exploited fear to justify reductions in HIV-related funding. A shift toward American centrism and nationalist rhetoric has fueled arguments against international HIV efforts, portraying them as misaligned with domestic priorities. This is one reason why programs like PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) have become early targets for cuts.

This area includes the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center responsible for consolidating short-term memory into long-term memory. A fading collective memory about HIV has played a role in recent funding cuts. As media coverage and public discourse surrounding HIV have waned, the virus is increasingly perceived as a lesser threat. As the visibility of an issue declines, so too does public urgency, and consequently, financial support for addressing it.

Impact on Specific Communities

Although everybody is impacted by the HIV funding cuts, there are certain communities that face additional barriers. This results in racial, geographic, and age disparities across the United States. Specifically, we will delve into the disparities felt by Black American women, the South, and elderly individuals.