LAC Opposes Any Cuts to HIV Prevention Programming at the CDC, Highlighting the Enormous Potential Harm to Communities Nationwide

Cutting the HIV Prevention Division at the CDC would not only undermine our nation's ability to respond effectively to outbreaks of all communicable diseases and significantly impact ongoing prevention efforts in communities most vulnerable to HIV, but it would also risk a resurgence of this preventable disease, which would result in unnecessary illness and cost taxpayers millions of dollars in medical care.

A core part of Legal Action Center's mission is to protect and defend the civil and privacy rights of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), including their right to equitable access to health care, employment, housing, and other opportunities-free from stigma, discrimination, or criminalization. As such, "We share the concerns of the broader HIV and public health communities about any reduction or elimination of federal support for HIV-related programming. The CDC's Division on HIV Prevention has played a crucial role in efforts to end the transmission of HIV: from 2018 to 2022, annual new HIV infections decreased by 12%, with a 21% decrease in areas prioritized by the federal 'Ending the Epidemic' initiative," explains Paul N. Samuels, LAC's Director and President.

Gabrielle de la Guéronnière, LAC's Vice President of Health and Justice Policy adds, "We cannot risk losing the gains we have made since the height of the AIDS epidemic. We need continued strong federal investment in the full continuum of effective HIV programming. We cannot sustain the momentum to end the HIV epidemic without the prevention arm of the CDC. Just as the federal Ryan White Program is essential to fund HIV care, treatment, and support services to low-income people with HIV, preventive services are equally critical."

Teresa Miller, LAC's National Director of Health Initiatives says, "Without this funding, states will be unable to fill the gaps, and we risk a resurgence not just of HIV, but also viral hepatitis, STIs, and tuberculosis, placing greater financial burden on state health care systems and reversing years of hard-earned progress."

It is critical that policymakers at the federal level continue to support and invest in HIV prevention programs to protect public health, reduce health disparities, and ensure a future where HIV transmission is truly a thing of the past.

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Media Contact:
Arianne Keegan
Director of Communications, Legal Action Center
communications@lac.org
(212) 243-1313

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