Republicans seek deep cuts to HIV prevention and treatment funding

In his first term, President Trump pledged to boost HIV spending, with the lofty goal of bringing the epidemic to heel by 2030. Now, however, Republicans are seeking deep cuts to HIV funding.

In his 2019 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump pledged to boost HIV spending, with the lofty goal of bringing the nation’s epidemic to heel by 2030. Last year, this federal initiative, Ending the HIV Epidemic, demonstrated progress.

This year, however, Republicans are seeking deep cuts to HIV prevention and treatment funding. The Trump administration proposed in its 2026 budget request to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV-prevention division, and House Republicans are seeking nearly $2 billion in HIV-related cuts in their federal health spending bill. The Senate, on the other hand, proposes to keep HIV funding essentially at current levels in its corresponding proposal.

To become law, any funding bill must pass both chambers of Congress, which would require the backing of at least some Senate Democrats, and have Trump's support.

But while these are just proposals at this point, they are a reflection of where many Republicans — who control the White House and both chambers of Congress — stand on the issue and would result in a dramatic disinvestment in funding that has often received bipartisan support.

“Donald Trump and House Republicans are cutting lifesaving programs to the bone so they can give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who co-wrote the bipartisan health spending bill in the Senate.