BY: Jasmine Franklin
Published 1 hour ago
Decades of America’s HIV protections are in jeopardy. Public health experts warn that policies under the Trump administration threaten critical federal programs and could cause serious harm. Without immediate intervention, the nation may see a rise in HIV infections and setbacks for communities that have fought for generations to access care.
Why Protections Are Under Attack
Republicans have targeted federal HIV programs for cuts and restructuring. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faced directives to dismantle their own work in the HIV prevention division. At the state level, researchers struggle as funding disappears. Meharry Medical College lost a two-million-dollar grant for pivotal HIV research. Programs that have funded testing, prevention, and education for decades are now in jeopardy.
Medicaid has also faced cuts. Nearly four in ten Americans living with HIV rely on Medicaid, the KFF reports. Starting in 2027, new paperwork requirements could prevent people from enrolling or renewing coverage. Experts warn that these policies will leave tens of thousands without access to essential care.
House Republicans go even further and call to dismantle the national initiative launched during Trump’s first term that aimed to reduce new HIV infections. Their plan also targets key parts of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which many people with HIV rely on when they lose other coverage. These proposals would strip nearly $2 billion from the country’s most essential HIV programs.
These cuts do more than threaten funding. They weaken the infrastructure that has kept HIV cases stable in the U.S. Public health officials fear that dismantling prevention programs will undo decades of gains and allow outbreaks to spread unchecked.
Human Rights Groups Respond
Human rights organizations are sounding the alarm. Advocates emphasize that the CDC provides services that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Losing these programs would create gaps in care, particularly in marginalized communities.
“For HIV-positive people right now, I think this is a very depressing moment,” said Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health.
“All of the energy and all of the excitement we’ve had about bringing an end to the AIDS epidemic … that has just completely had the wind taken out of its sails,” Halkitis added.
Jeremiah Johnson, the executive director of PrEP4All, explained that there would be consequences due to the cuts.
“There will be people who get diagnosed later, perhaps already with opportunistic infections and showing up into emergency rooms already sick, harkening back to a much darker and more visible and more deadly version of the epidemic, and that will be directly because these services have been cut,” said Johnson.
“It really threatens to undermine everything,” Johnson continued.
These warnings capture the scale of the crisis. Advocates fear that the country could return to a time when people lacked clear paths to testing, treatment, and prevention. Human rights groups urge federal leaders to restore funding and protect the programs that keep communities safe.
The Stakes Are High
America’s HIV protections are in jeopardy. Experts warn that dismantling federal programs and slashing Medicaid will leave communities vulnerable. Without intervention, decades of progress in treatment, research, and prevention could vanish. Human rights groups are calling for immediate action to protect the most vulnerable and preserve the systems that keep HIV in check.
The United States stands at a critical moment. The choices policymakers make now will determine whether the country continues its progress against HIV or faces a public health crisis that could have been prevented.
