Local health advocates and elected officials are raising concerns over President Donald Trump’s proposed elimination of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of HIV Prevention.
The administration’s plan reportedly involves shifting some of the HIV Prevention Division’s responsibilities to the Department of Health and Human Services, according to NBC News. But critics argue that this transition could lead to bureaucratic inefficiencies and reduced funding for critical HIV prevention programs, leaving many at-risk communities without necessary support.
Local advocates say the move, if enacted, could have devastating consequences for communities in Chicago and across Illinois, where thousands rely on federally funded HIV prevention and treatment services.
Joli Robinson, CEO of the Center on Halsted, warned the proposed cuts would leave many vulnerable populations without essential services.
“We know that a number of individuals—more than 38,000 people—are living with HIV across the state,” Robinson said. “Our communities of color, particularly Black men, followed by Hispanic and Latino men, are disproportionately impacted.”
Disinvestments in HIV prevention would disproportionately affect those communities, Robinson said.
The proposed cuts have sparked widespread condemnation from Chicago’s HIV advocacy organizations, including AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC).
Omar Martínez González, senior manager of policy and advocacy for AFC, called the proposal “a complete shock” and emphasized the CDC’s critical role in HIV prevention.
“The role of the CDC is absolutely vital,” González said. “They have tremendous expertise around prevention and how to reach hard-to-reach populations, how to reach communities that are most impacted by HIV.”
Organizations like AFC and the Center on Halsted, which partner to manage Illinois’ HIV Resource Hub, could be affected.
Resources include the statewide hotline people can call for information about their sexual health and the Hub resource website. Both organizations also offer HIV testing and other kinds of resources.
Without funding for HIV prevention within the CDC, some boots-on-the-ground operations could end, González said.
“A lot of them would have to shut down, and the communities that are most impacted—namely communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community and trans people—would be left out to dry,” González said.
Lawmakers from across the country have responded with a letter to President Trump sent March 21 that urged the administration to reverse course, citing the financial and public health consequences of eliminating the HIV Prevention Division.
The signatories include both of Illinois’ U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, as well as U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Sean Casten (IL-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Eric Sorensen (IL-17).