HIV hasn’t gone away. In fact, an AIDS-related illness still kills someone every minute globally. But thanks to the foresight and support of both Republican and Democratic Congresses, American Presidents and the American people, we are making real progress towards finally ending this global crisis.
The proposed budget cuts will cost lives and money. Game-changing HIV prevention drugs offer a historic opportunity to drastically reduce new infections, making it easier for countries to sustain their own response to the epidemic. This must be a priority for the next phase of PEPFAR as well as the End the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative in America. Without proper funding, however, rates could surge once more, squandering past investments and leaving Americans, and us all, less safe.
As Congress determines next year’s budget, we call on this generation of lawmakers to leave the ultimate legacy – ending the AIDS crisis once and for all.
