HIV/AIDS funding cuts will mark people for death

Photo: Gerald Farinas.

The Trump administration’s repeated efforts to cut HIV/AIDS funding—both at home and abroad—have had severe consequences for public health infrastructure, undoing years of bipartisan progress.

Organizations like the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and TPAN, which serve some of the most vulnerable populations in Illinois, have been placed in precarious positions due to unstable federal support.

Meanwhile, globally, these cuts have undermined the long-respected President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which once stood as a proud legacy of Republican humanitarian leadership under President George W. Bush.

Local Impact: AIDS Foundation of Chicago and TPAN

In 2025, the Trump administration froze federal HIV/AIDS grants without warning, threatening to dismantle local HIV service networks across the country.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago—dependent on federal funding for over 80% of its programming—was one of many service providers caught in the crossfire.

This threatened housing assistance, medical care, and prevention outreach that thousands of Chicagoans rely on every year [^1].

TPAN (Test Positive Aware Network), another major Chicago-based nonprofit focused on HIV/AIDS care and education, also faced jeopardy.

These organizations serve populations already at heightened risk—particularly LGBTQ+ individuals, Black and Latinx communities, and those living in poverty.

The loss of funding meant scaling back testing, treatment access, and counseling—services that literally save lives [^2].

Kevin Morrison: Advocacy in action

Cook County Commissioner Kevin B. Morrison has been one of the most vocal critics of these funding reductions.

Representing the 15th District, Morrison—who is openly gay and the first LGBTQ person elected to the Cook County Board—has long championed expanded healthcare access and HIV/AIDS services.

He publicly denounced the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate HIV prevention funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calling it a direct attack on vulnerable communities [^3].

Morrison’s efforts have not been limited to press statements.

He has helped secure local funding for prevention programs and called for more robust federal-state partnerships to fill the gaps left by federal neglect.

Now, with his run for Congress, Morrison becomes a national advocate for public health justice—rooted in the work he’s already done in Cook County [^4].

PEPFAR and the global setback

While HIV/AIDS funding at home was under siege, the Trump administration also chipped away at America’s global commitment.

PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was launched by President George W. Bush in 2003 and has been credited with saving over 25 million lives globally.

The program represents one of the largest health initiatives ever launched to combat a single disease [^5].

Trump’s proposed budget cuts and congressional inaction led to significant reductions in U.S. support to countries with high HIV burdens.

In South Africa, for instance, a $436 million reduction in PEPFAR funding led to the elimination of over 8,000 health worker positions and the closure of 12 HIV clinics—many of which served key populations like gay men and sex workers [^6].

In Eswatini, the U.S. withdrawal forced the shutdown of Miracle Campus, a clinic that had served thousands of patients.

Families were suddenly left without care, and essential services like pediatric testing and maternal antiretroviral access began to falter [^7].

The consequences were immediate and dire: fewer HIV tests, more undiagnosed infections, and greater risk of mother-to-child transmission [^8].

Long lasting damage

The Trump-era cuts to HIV/AIDS funding—both domestic and international—have done lasting damage.

While organizations like AFC and TPAN scramble to hold together lifelines with dwindling resources, global partners face similar struggles on a much larger scale.

Fortunately, voices like Kevin Morrison’s are emerging louder and stronger.

His advocacy signals a generation of leaders who understand that HIV/AIDS is not over, and that continued investment, both moral and financial, is the only way to meet the promise of an AIDS-free future.

Sources

[^1]: Axios Chicago. (2025). Chicago HIV/AIDS groups brace for fallout after Trump admin’s funding freeze. Retrieved from https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/02/06/trump-funding-cuts-hiv-aids

[^2]: TPAN. (2024). Our Impact. Retrieved from

https://www.tpan.com

[^3]: AIDS Foundation of Chicago. (2023). AFC opposes Trump admin’s plan to eliminate HIV prevention funding at CDC. Retrieved from

https://www.aidschicago.org

[^4]: Windy City Times. (2025). Gay Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison announces congressional bid. Retrieved from https://windycitytimes.com/2025/05/12/gay-cook-county-commissioner-kevin-morrison-announces-congressional-bid

[^5]: Wikipedia. (2025). President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief

[^6]: Associated Press. (2025). HIV clinic closures in South Africa follow U.S. aid cuts. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/ae60eceb910fdef15067b6d3cec46cd7

[^7]: The Washington Post. (2025). U.S. aid withdrawal devastates HIV/AIDS care in Eswatini. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/18/usaid-withdrawal-africa-healthcare

[^8]: Reuters. (2025). HIV testing falls in South Africa after U.S. PEPFAR cuts, data shows. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hiv-patient-testing-falls-south-africa-after-us-aid-cuts-data-shows-2025-05-14