In response to reports that President Trump will use the State of the Union address to announce a plan to end new HIV infections in the U.S. by 2030 while ignoring the unmet needs for the global AIDS response, Health GAP released the following statement:
“The first two years of the Trump Administration have been a nightmare for people with HIV in the U.S. and around the world,” said Asia Russell, Executive Director of Health GAP. “The evidence for this is clear: proposals of deadly funding cuts to life-saving global AIDS programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund when more than $1 billion in additional funding is needed in fiscal year 2020 alone; assaults on Medicaid expansion, undermining life-saving health coverage for people with HIV and at greatest risk of infection in the U.S.; misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia which fuel the spread of HIV evident in policy, rhetoric, and practice; expanding harmful policies such as the Global Gag Rule that are contradicted by science and violate human rights; and carrying water for pharmaceutical corporations as their price gouging undermines access to medicines at home and abroad.”
“Tonight’s announcement will not wake us up from this nightmare unless it immediately reverses these harmful political decisions. To end the HIV epidemics at home and abroad, a real leader must call for: at least $1 billion in additional funding for global AIDS for fiscal year 2020, a permanent repeal of the Global Gag Rule, Medicare for All to ensure access to quality health care in the United States, evidence-based policies such as harm reduction for people who use drugs, and truly progressive proposals to slash the cost of medicines in the U.S. and globally.”
“HIV remains one of the most pressing issues of our time. It warrants the spotlight of the State of the Union address year after year until we stop its spread and ensure universal access to treatment. But those words must be backed up with actions – or else this is another case of all show and no substance from an Administration that has cruelly undercut the HIV response at every turn over the last two years.”
About Health GAP:
Health GAP is an international advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all people living with HIV have access to affordable life sustaining medicines. Our team pairs pragmatic policy work with audacious grassroots action to win equitable access to treatment, care and prevention for people living with and affected by HIV worldwide. We are dedicated to eliminating barriers to universal access to affordable life sustaining medicines for people living with HIV/AIDS as key to a comprehensive strategy to confront and ultimately stop the AIDS pandemic. We believe that the human right to life and to health must prevail over the pharmaceutical industry’s excessive profits and expanding patent rights.
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