JAVIER MUÑOZ, PEPPERMINT HAVE POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS WITH LAWMAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL, SPEAK AT RALLY IN PROTEST $2B IN PROPOSED HIV PROGRAM CUTS

VIDEO – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Allies Reaffirm Commitment to Protecting HIV Care Amid Escalating Attacks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, September 4, 2025 – On Wednesday, September 3, LGBTQ trailblazers Peppermint and Javier Muñoz took to Capitol Hill to meet directly with lawmakers and demanded urgent action to stop the proposed $2 billion in cuts to federal HIV programs. The Hill meetings, organized by the Save HIV Funding Campaign, were productive and personal, with Peppermint and Muñoz uplifting the voices of those most impacted and calling on Congress to protect the health and dignity of people living with and vulnerable to HIV.

In a private meeting with Javier Muñoz and organizers of the Save HIV Funding Campaign, Sen. Chuck Schumer reaffirmed the U.S. Senate’s commitment to fighting back against the House proposal saying in part: “They won’t get our [budget] approval… no fucking way.”

Following their meetings, the two artists and advocates joined Senator Rep. Maxine Waters, for an emergency rally on Capitol Hill. The action coincided with the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) and sent a clear message: #CutsKill — and Congress must act now to reject the House’s FY26 proposal, which would devastate access to care and erase decades of progress in the fight to end the HIV epidemic.

Photos and video from Hill day meetings and rally are here:

Credit: Morrison Media group

• PHOTOS 

• VIDEO

PRESS CONTACT: HQ@thetonymorrison.com

ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL:

On Monday, the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee released its FY26 spending bill that the Subcommittee considered this week. The Save HIV Funding Campaign decries this bill that would slash approximately $2 billion from domestic HIV programs, eviscerating the federal response to the HIV epidemic - putting people's lives and health at risk - while increasing medical costs.

The bill would eliminate HIV prevention programs at CDC that serve states and localities nationwide by providing HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)– highly effective medications that prevent HIV 99% of the time when taken as directed. The bill also would turn funding for STI clinics into block grants, eliminate Minority AIDS Initiative funding, and slash $525 million from the Ryan White Program at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which provides comprehensive, effective HIV medical care and treatment for more than 550,000 people each year. The House bill would eliminate Ryan White Program support for HIV medical and dental clinics across the nation, including services for women, children, and families. Funding for provider HIV education and training also would be eliminated, making HIV services less accessible, especially in rural communities. The bill also would wipe out the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative that has reduced new HIV cases by 21% in jurisdictions that receive EHE funds - 3.5 times better than jurisdictions that do not receive these funds. People rely on critical HIV services to stay healthy, and in turn they are able to live, work, and care for their families and communities. The House majority is proposing cuts that would reignite the HIV epidemic in the U.S. The Senate Appropriations Committee, however, proposed and passed a bipartisan bill that would maintain funding for these programs, permitting people to access essential care as they do now.   

The House bill betrays and undermines the last four decades of work in which U.S. research developed HIV prevention, care, and treatment that have made HIV a much more preventable disease and changed an HIV diagnosis from a death sentence into a manageable, chronic condition that allows people with HIV to live a normal lifespan and work and care for their communities and families. It also is a betrayal of the hard work of people living with HIV, their medical providers, researchers, allies, and advocates who have developed systems of effective, cost-efficient prevention, care, treatment and research, and have ensured that there is robust funding to support access.   

This bill also betrays the Trump Administration’s earlier goal of Ending the HIV Epidemic. With continued efforts and support, this goal could be achieved within our lifetimes because the systems and tools have been developed and with appropriate resources could be fully deployed to prevent HIV and effectively manage and treat it. It is a cruel about face for the first Trump Administration to implement this remarkable vision of ending HIV in the U.S. - a proposal which achieved robust, bipartisan Congressional and community support - only for the second Trump Administration and House leadership to intentionally destroy this remarkable, legacy-defining initiative. Advocates know from experience that #CutsKill, and that the stripping of critical, life saving services for people in every community in our country will result in more illness and death.

The HIV community knows that Silence = Death; and the Save HIV Funding Campaign along with its members and allies will not be silent while conservative Congressional leaders rob people of their health and lives. The House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee will meet at 5:00 p.m. today. We urge House appropriators to reject and vote against this bill and call strongly for their Congressional colleagues to do so as well.  People living with and vulnerable to HIV, advocates, providers, researchers, allies, and communities nationwide will continue to fight for ready access to essential HIV services for everybody who needs them. The past 40 years have shown that action equals life: we can unquestionably save lives, improve health, and cut costs, but to do so we will need the voice of every champion and ally raised together, demanding that our nation stay on a winning path by fully funding our existing progress toward ending the HIV epidemic.   

HIV FUNDING FAST FACTS:

State-by-State Resources & Fact Sheets HERE

• Federal HIV programs have more than 35 years of bipartisan support: In 2003, President George W. Bush created PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which has saved 25 million lives worldwide. Domestically, President Bush signed laws reauthorizing and funding HIV care.Protecting HIV funding has been a long-standing bipartisan commitment.

• Federal HIV programs are cost-effective: Every $1 invested in HIV prevention saves the health care system $3 to $7 in future treatment costs. Cuts to federal programs would increase long-term spending.

• Medicaid is the largest source of coverage for people living with HIV in the U.S., covering roughly 40% of people living with HIV. Medicaid expansion has been associated with a 33% increase in PrEP prescriptions. Medicaid cuts recently passed by Congress will reduce coverage and access to HIV care. This fact  increases the importance of Congress providing robust FY 2026 appropriations for federal HIV programs. 

• HIV care is part of the U.S. health care system: Federal HIV funding supports access to preventive care, primary care, mental health services, housing, and medications. Cutting these funds would destabilize programs millions of Americans depend on — including those living with chronic conditions, low income families, and uninsured people.

• Over 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV, and over 500,000 rely on federal programs like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for lifesaving medication and care.

• HIV prevention funding protects everyone: The federal government funds access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily medication that reduces the risk of HIV infection by 99%. Rolling back funding would increase new HIV cases and the long-term costs to the health care system.

• HIV funding is about more than one disease: These programs create a blueprint for coordinated, federally funded responses to health crises — from the opioid epidemic to COVID-19. Gutting HIV funding would weaken America’s preparedness for future public health threats.

• HIV funding protects vulnerable communities: Black and Latino communities account for more than 65% of new HIV diagnoses. Protecting these funds is about protecting racial and health equity.

About the Save HIV Funding Campaign:

Launched in 2023 by PrEP4All, AVAC, and the HIV Medicine Association in partnership with the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, the Save HIV Funding campaign is supported by over 150 national and local organizations. The campaign began in response to proposed Congressional cuts to federal HIV programs and successfully helped avert $1.5 billion in domestic HIV funding cuts.

In early 2025, the campaign expanded in response to the Trump Administration’s escalating efforts to dismantle essential HIV services and infrastructure. Today, Save HIV Funding continues to mobilize advocates, patients, healthcare providers, and public figures to ensure access to lifesaving care for everyone impacted by HIV.