AHF Commends President Trump for Maintaining Critical Funding for AIDS Fight in Budget Blueprint

AHF Commends President Trump for Maintaining Critical Funding for AIDS Fight in Budget Blueprint

In News by AHF

Trump budget maintains key funding for PEPFAR and The Global Fund and indicates Ryan White Act AIDS providers will also be one of its highest priorities; however, AHF has ongoing concerns with proposals to convert Medicaid to block grants to the states and changes to the Affordable Care Act that will leave people living with HIV in the U.S. without health insurance.

WASHINGTON (March 16, 2017) In response to the release of President Donald J. Trump’s budget earlier this week by the White House, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, released the following statement:

“AIDS Healthcare Foundation welcomes the news today that the Trump Administration’s budget ‘blueprint’ for fiscal year 2018 maintains critical funding for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the US government’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund).

While the budget still needs approval from the U.S. Congress, today’s announcement that the President supports continued funding for PEPFAR and the Global Fund means millions of lives will be saved around the world.  With approval from the US Congress, established under President George W. Bush, continued under President Barack Obama—and now with the support of President Donald Trump—these programs are a model of bipartisan unity in the fight against three deadly infectious diseases. In 2015, the US provided over 66 percent of total funding by donor governments for the HIV response in developing countries, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

AHF also welcomes language in the President’s budget announcement that calls funding for Ryan White AIDS providers as one of its highest priorities.  In addition, the budget includes $500 million for the US domestic response to the opioid epidemic for prevention and treatment and a new federal emergency response fund to deal with situations such as the Zika virus outbreak. However, AHF has ongoing concerns with proposals to convert Medicaid to block grants to the states and changes to the Affordable Care Act that will leave people living with HIV without health insurance.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest provider of HIV services in the world with over 700,000 patients in its care, receives very little direct funding from PEPFAR and the Global Fund.  However, its patients receive lifesaving medicines acquired through these two international public health institutions.

“AHF looks forward to working with the Trump Administration and the U.S. Congress in making sure these budget commitments become law,” added Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

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