HIV advocates in CT fear Trump administration’s cuts threaten progress in prevention, treatment

CT Post – Tuesday, April 15, 2025
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

Doug Moffat never thought he’d be dealing with the growing pains of an aging body after he was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 — as the AIDS epidemic reached its crescendo. But after over 30 years of “surviving and thriving,” he said he’s blessed to be still alive, especially after major advances in disease research, care and treatment turned the viral death sentence into a manageable chronic condition.

Despite the advancements, Moffat and other members of the HIV community are worried about how recent federal cuts to infectious disease research may impact or halt the national and regional efforts to reduce the number of new diagnoses.

“We didn’t know what we didn’t know, and it was the beginning. We have made great strides. I am very privileged. I had resources…to literally chase after the absolute best medical care. That is part of why I’m here today,” Moffat said, speaking at a rally outside the State Capitol marking Connecticut’s 25th annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Day hosted by Advancing Connecticut Together.

To reduce federal spending, the Trump Administration has been cutting back on funding for research and public health efforts nationwide. Some of the shifts include broad sweeping changes, while others specifically target HIV/AIDS research, advocates say.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for example, reduced its workforce by 25%, impacting research and prevention programs through its agencies. In addition, more than 200 grants for HIV and AIDS research with the National Institutes of Health were abruptly terminated.

In Connecticut, research institutions and universities are bearing much of the brunt of the funding cuts. Yale University lost several grants over the last few weeks, including one for over $709,000 to promote HIV treatment adherence among Black LGBTQ+ men, courtesy of the federal Department of Government Efficiency. The university also lost a $1.5 million grant to start an HIV science training program in Malaysia with the Universiti Malaya.

The state is also at risk of losing an estimated $175 million in public health and infectious disease funding from the expired American Rescue Plan Act, Attorney General William Tong said at the rally.

“We need research,” Tong said. “We need doctors and professors and researchers at UConn and Yale and across this country developing the next generation of treatment and prevention for this terrible disease.”

State Rep. MJ Shannon, D-117 District, a member of the state LGBTQ+ Caucus, said there seems to be a new cut from the federal government every day that is trickling down to impact the community. Still, he said the legislators are trying to find ways to continue funding the programs on the fiscal chopping block.

Legislators, for example, recently approved nearly $3 million in state grants to nonprofits offering social services across the state, including LGBTQ+ organizations.

“Literally everyone in Connecticut should know that our legislature is protecting them,” Shannon said. “We’re trying our hardest not to let them impact all of our residents.”

Efforts to get to zero new diagnoses are working, advocates and lawmakers said on Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said 87% of newly diagnosed people were linked with care within a month. There’s also been an over 70% drop in HIV transmission through injection drug use over the past decade, but she said robust funding is needed to continue seeing these reductions.

Connecticut had 220 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2022, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health.

Rev. André McGuire, vice president of the Black Ministerial Alliance of New Britain and a long-time HIV/AIDS activist, said a majority of these new diseases are cropping up mainly in heterosexual, Black women and men, but keeping track moving forward may be difficult without the funds.

“If we stop putting money into prevention, then the same thing that happened at the beginning of this epidemic will occur again,” McGuire said. “This is nothing but an epidemic waiting to happen.”

Access this article at its original source.