TRUMP RESTORES HIV FUNDING

US President Donald Trump has lifted a controversial freeze on federal HIV prevention and surveillance funding, after mounting pressure from public health advocates, congressional Democrats, and community organizations.

On Thursday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed that it had received official communication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), awarding it nearly $20 million for HIV prevention programs for the fiscal year starting June 1. The amount marks a modest increase of $338,019 compared to the previous year’s allocation.

California lawmakers and HIV advocacy groups welcomed the reversal but condemned the initial move.
“Let’s be clear — the Trump administration’s move to freeze HIV prevention funding was reckless, illegal, and put lives at risk,” said Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) in a statement. “I’m relieved the CDC finally did the right thing — but this never should have happened.”

The CDC did not immediately issue a response regarding the policy reversal.

Rep. Friedman, alongside other congressional advocates, had previously penned a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., warning that any cuts to HIV funding would undo decades of progress and trigger spikes in infections — particularly in vulnerable communities such as LGBTQ+ populations and California residents.

The letter referenced data from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), which projected that the proposed cuts could lead to 143,000 additional HIV infections and 127,000 AIDS-related deaths nationwide within five years.

Locally, Los Angeles County had faced the looming threat of losing nearly $20 million annually — a cut that would have dismantled a 39-provider network and potentially increased the region’s HIV infections by 650 cases annually, bringing the total to around 2,000 new cases each year.

One of the affected groups, The Sidewalk Project — a harm reduction initiative offering syringe access for drug users — raised alarm over both the funding freeze and Trump’s recent statements suggesting he could classify fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction" or dissolve the CDC’s HIV prevention division altogether.

In response to the CDC’s reinstatement, a spokesperson from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health expressed gratitude.

“Public Health is grateful for the support and advocacy from the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Congressional delegation, and all of our community-based providers in pushing CDC to restore this Congressionally approved funding,” the department said in a statement.

However, the battle is far from over. The department warned that President Trump’s proposed FY26 budget could eliminate the funding entirely.

“We urge our federal partners to support this critical, lifesaving funding moving forward,” the spokesperson added.