While Donald Trump has been busy awkwardly dancing with the king of Saudi Arabia and posing for uncomfortable pictures with the pope, his administration quietly released his latest budget proposal and–guess what?–it’s absolutely awful. Especially for LGBTQ people, people of color, and especially for anyone living with HIV/AIDS.
How exactly?
Well, in a nutshell, Trump is proposing:
- An $838 million cut to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where most HIV/AIDS research is conducted.
- A 36.75% cut to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which has spent the past several years collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity to better address LGBTQ health disparities.
- Total elimination of AIDS Education and Training Centers and Special Projects of National Significance, which are run under the auspices of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
- A $1.1 billion cut (20% of global HIV funding) for treatment of people living with HIV in Africa and other parts of the globe. The group amfAR estimates this would result in the loss of more than 1 million lives and cause as many as 300,000 children to become orphans.
- A 37.3% cut to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created by the Affordable Care Act and currently funds a number of important public health projects and initiatives.
“This budget proposes a radical rejection of the social compact that has sustained our country for half a century,” Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research at the Fenway Institute, says in a press release. “It would also undermine important progress we have made in preventing and treating HIV here and in Africa. It casts our most vulnerable people aside and leaves them to fend for themselves without the resources they need to succeed.”
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Related: Betsy Devos: If states want to discriminate against LGBTQ students, that’s fine by me
ChrisK
Damn. Just when I thought I couldn’t hate cheetolini and his henchmen anymore then I do now.
1EqualityUSA
The irony is that not treating will cost more eventually.
He BGB
But the defense will get trillions and his rich friends will get huge tax breaks. And think of those poor poverty level supporters who voted for him. THEIR TAXES ARE GOING UP.
Mkiel
I hope those idiots that voted for him are happy.
Bob LaBlah
This past weekend on Face the Nation Marco Rubio made some very disparaging remarks toward Trump when he said that “the people got what they elected” and also trumpeted for opening up the Comey memos. This guy is finished but too stupid to admit it. This latest budget isn’t being supported by over half of the GOP members either.
Neonegro
Great cuts, there is no excuse to get HIV in 2017.
1EqualityUSA
blow up doll action, action blow up doll.
ChrisK
but you don’t believe in hiv Brian. Keep your trolling straight.
girldownunder
Write!!!!
Write and let them know!
Cheers
Holloway
So the latest proposed federal budget sucks, what’s new?
It sucks every year.
Our debt is $20,000,000,000,000.00 and counting.
But no one seems to care.
F*** the entitlements. I gave up on Washington a long time ago. Donate to Planned Parenthood, volunteer at a Health Clinic, work towards self-sufficiency for our community like me and my friends have been doing because trust me, the last thing we want is to rely on crooked politicians who live in an overbuilt capital city thousands of miles from us. You can’t change federal politics, but you *can* disconnect from it.
cutterq
It is President Pence budget . He is the real Prez. Trump is just a diversion. The hate agenda against everyone who is not a white male christian has started.