With the number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV dropping nationally, the Department of Health and Human Services is considering plans to cut the federal government's funding for domestic prevention for the virus that causes AIDS.
The plan could be announced as soon as Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The plans haven't been completed and could be pulled back or adjusted.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in May 2024 that new HIV infections for persons aged 13 and older dropped 12% from 2018 to 2022, with an estimated total of 31,800 cases in 2022. Also, the number of those aged 13-24 who were infected with HIV dropped 30% between 2018 and 2022 to roughly 6,400. The data estimated that 1,079,751 people aged 13 and older in the U.S. had diagnosed cases of HIV at year-end 2022, with 158,249 not knowing they had the disease.
The CDC has a department dedicated to the prevention of HIV and other infectious diseases. The department funds state and local surveillance programs for HIV, syringe services, and community-outreach initiatives, according to the Journal.
The CDC said it spent nearly $1.4 billion on the prevention of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis in the 2023 fiscal year.
An HHS official told Newsmax on Tuesday night the department "is following the Administration's guidance and taking a careful look at all divisions to see where there is overlap that could be streamlined to support the President's broader efforts to restructure the federal government. This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard. No final decision on streamlining CDC's HIV Prevention Division has been made."
It's possible the CDC's work on domestic HIV prevention could be continued elsewhere in HHS should cuts be made to the HIV Prevention Division, the official said.
The Trump administration has made cuts to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which supplies antiretroviral drugs to millions of people globally, the Journal reported. The administration has also suspended efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development to help administer PEPFAR.
This story has been updated.