amfAR Statement on Trump Administration Budget Proposal

Published Tuesday, March 12, 2019

amfAR strongly opposes President Trump’s preliminary FY2020 budget request. The request launches a bold new initiative for domestic HIV while seriously undermining U.S. leadership in global HIV/AIDS. The United States’ leadership in global HIV remains an exception in an increasingly politicized climate; it enjoys broad bipartisan support—and unprecedented success in saving lives and preventing HIV infections. 

The Trump administration’s proposal would cut funding for PEPFAR by $1.35 billion—almost 30% below FY2019 funding levels. Similarly, support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would be reduced by almost a quarter, from $1.35 to $1.1 billion. Cuts of this magnitude would result in countless new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths for a relatively small cost savings in the context of the federal budget. You can learn more about these consequences here.

Moreover, the President’s commitment to end the domestic HIV epidemic must be questioned when the budget also includes nearly $800 million in cuts to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).  Without pioneering NIAID research, the administration would not be in a position to scale up two game-changing innovations in the fight against HIV: treatment as prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis. 

We look forward to working with Congress, which has a long history of robust support for PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and the NIH, to reject the cuts proposed in the President’s budget, while supporting the new funding the Administration provides for its bold strategy to end HIV in the U.S.