With Federal Offices Related to Fighting Infectious Disease Closing, Who Will Pick-Up the Slack?
Carl Schmid, executive director, HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, speaks to these closings.
Within the last couple of weeks, the Trump administration has continued its closure and restructuring of federal agencies and offices related to infectious diseases. The administration dismissed the entire staff of the HHS Office of Infectious Diseases & HIV Policy, along with staff from other offices including the HHS Office of Minority Health and the Policy and Data Division supporting the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Additionally, hundreds of employees at the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care were let go, including those who support the Ending the HIV Epidemic PrEP program.
Carl Schmid, Executive Director of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, released a statement after news of the agency changes broke.
“Today the Trump administration continued its decimation of our nation’s response not only to HIV, but to hepatitis and STIs. While we wait to learn specifics on how many staff who support CDC’s HIV and hepatitis prevention programs will be eliminated, all staff at the government’s central coordinating office—which develops strategic plans, coordinates agency actions, collects and communicates vital data, administers the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, and oversees the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS—have been fired,” Schmid said in the statement.1
Schmid noted that HRSA may step in to fill the role of the Office of Infectious Diseases & HIV Policy, but nothing has been confirmed.
“We are hearing that office may be resurrected at HRSA, but we don't know. A lot of these cuts are just happening. And they say it's all for government efficiency, but we don't think there's a lot of logic behind it,” Schmid told Contagion.
HRSA is the primary federal agency focused on improving access to healthcare services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable—including those in rural areas and those with HIV/AIDS. It is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative was established in 2019 during the first Trump administration—with the goal of reducing new HIV infections in the United States by 75% within 5 years and by 90% within 10 years. This abrupt reversal in HIV policy is both confusing and concerning.
“Hopefully, they will realize their wrongs and correct them, but we are very concerned that they're targeting the populations most impacted by HIV,” Schmid said. “So we are rather surprised by the 180, but we're not losing hope yet. Through public awareness, Congress, and other means, we hope advocacy will pay off and that they will get back on track so we can end HIV. Without this government funding, and with the loss of all the staff support and research, we're definitely going to go backward—and that’s really sad.”
