The rapid dismantling of US democratic norms over the past 3 weeks – including fundamental government protections and structures – threatens the nation’s democracy, diversity, society, and economy. The decline of a functional American democracy impacts all citizens, but especially the people whom leaders now target, including BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and women. These dramatic and dangerous changes impact people needing and advocating for HIV prevention, treatment and research, including expanding access to PrEP. Congress and leaders nationwide, including PrEP4All, must stand up to this dangerous turn in government and demand an Administration that leads with democratic norms and supports strategic, compassionate US governance.  

The unlawful and inhumane shut down of USAID has upended PEPFAR, an initiative with Republican origins. The abrupt ending and dismantling of PEPFAR programs has disrupted HIV treatment and PrEP access for millions of individuals world-wide. A waiver supposedly allowing for some PEPFAR services to continue deliberately omits PrEP for everyone except pregnant women, and there are widespread reports that the waiver is not being honored. This dramatic relinquishment of US leadership and responsibility to global health will result in needless suffering and death as well as put U.S. public health and security at risk. Lawlessly freezing and cancelling of existing domestic government programs and contracts also is disrupting HIV prevention and treatment services and calling into question whether any agreement with this Administration will be reliable in the future. In some cases, even temporary restraining orders from the courts seem to be ignored. Such means and tactics likely will significantly reduce and potentially halt much of the US’s HIV prevention and treatment efforts. Such a dramatic reduction will lead to increased HIV cases, which will threaten individual and public health and increase personal and financial costs nationwide. 

The HIV epidemic cannot be ended in a state of lawlessness where essential health agencies are gutted and funds are withheld without due cause and without reasonable warning. A bipartisan Congress must defend itself from Executive overreach and restore law and order in our nation. Without essential constitutional checks and balances, our nation’s democracy, diversity, society and economy will suffer, including its collective, bipartisan priorities, such as the work to end HIV as an epidemic in America.

We stand with the Black and Brown, LGBTQ+ people– particularly Transgender people who have been singled out – immigrants, women, and all who are vulnerable to and disproportionately impacted by HIV. Congressional switchboards have gone from 40 calls a minute to over 1600 calls a minute, and we urge people to continue calling their members of Congress to protect the basic checks and balances of American democracy– and to maintain and fully restore their constitutional spending authority. While you are at it, please tell them to fight for funding for HIV prevention and treatment programs; access to healthcare, including Medicaid; housing; and overdose prevention services to help end the HIV epidemic. And then please call again the next day and next week, and again the week after that until responsible, compassionate governance is restored.   

PrEP4All will continue to organize and pressure the new Administration and Congress to care for the nation and not to crush its peoples and long-held democratic principles.  Alongside our many partners and allies and through the #SaveHIVFunding Campaign, we will demand support and protection of all essential HIV services, including PrEP, and continue to work to end the HIV epidemic.