$600 million in Trump administration health cuts will hit California HIV programs

"Public health experts warned Tuesday that $600 million in cuts to federal public health funding announced by the Trump administration would endanger one of California's main early-warning systems for HIV outbreaks, leaving communities vulnerable to undetected disease spread. The grant terminations affect funding for a number of disease control programs in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, but the vast majority target California, according to congressional Democrats who received the full list of affected programs Monday."

"The move is the latest in the White House's campaign against what it called "radical gender ideology" at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "These cuts will hurt vital efforts to prevent the spread of disease," said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). "It's dangerous, and it's deliberate." Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC has increasingly turned away from evidence-backed HIV monitoring and prevention programs, claiming they "undermined core American values.""

"The stoppage will derail $1.1 million slated for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project, according to the president's budget office. The program is a "critical" tool used to detect emerging HIV trends, prevent outbreaks before they spread and reduce HIV incidence, said Dr. Paul Simon, an epidemiologist at the UCLA Fielding School and former chief science officer for the county's public health department."

A $600 million reduction in federal public health funding will endanger California's HIV outbreak early-warning systems, increasing the risk of undetected transmission and outbreaks. Grant terminations affect disease control programs in multiple states, with the majority of affected programs based in California and including $1.1 million for Los Angeles County's National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project. The CDC has shifted away from evidence-backed HIV monitoring and prevention programs, citing conflicts with "core American values." Loss of the surveillance program will impair detection of emerging HIV trends, hinder outbreak prevention, and reduce capacity to lower HIV incidence.

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