HIV/AIDS Cure News: Trump Administration Proposes Cuts to HIV/AIDS Research
In its rush to trim down the federal budget, the White House is not going to wait until next year, 2018, to eliminate spending for areas it considers unnecessary. The new proposals from the Trump administration include an immediate $18 billion in cuts to government programs that include HIV/AIDS research, among others, despite already being approved for 2017.
The Donald Trump administration is proposing that $18 billion be slashed from federal spending that goes to government programs that cover education, scientific research, health, job training and diplomacy, according to CBS Local. Among the high-profile programs that will be affected are Pell Grants, Food Assistance and HIV/AIDS Research.
Representative Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) spoke against the proposed cuts, calling the new measures "morally bankrupt." As a member of the Committee on Appropriations, Lee called attention to the suggested cuts of almost $350 million to the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and HIV/AIDS programs, including ongoing research initiatives.
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Lee warned about the possible ramifications of the budget cuts. "President Trump's proposed reductions to PEPFAR and other HIV/AIDS programs would be a humanitarian catastrophe," Lee said.
The new cuts also suggest immediately taking away $1.2 billion from the National Institute of Health. The White House budget directives, released on Tuesday, will reduce the NIH budget from its $31.6 billion allocation, a move that will take funds away from medical research, according to NBC News.
Charles Kieffer, Democratic staff director on the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the budget suggestions from the White House. "His focus is on cutting science programs," Kieffer told the panel at the Bipartisan Policy Center on Tuesday. "They are forcing these rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul decisions that will have consequences for a generation," Kieffer continued.
More cuts have also been proposed, cutting out $50 million from the domestic HIV/AIDS budget and another $50 million from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Global HIV/AIDS program, according to Pink News. These are despite earlier assurances that health spending, and HIV/AIDS budgets in particular, will be protected from the cuts.
