UPDATE: Final Passage of FY26 Spending Package Protects Funding for Domestic & Global HIV Programs after Hard Won Fight, Concerns about Funding for DHS Persist

Yesterday the House passed and the President signed the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 five-bill appropriations package that includes critical funding for domestic and global HIV programs. Importantly, the package did not include a full FY26 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS funding will be subject to a two week continuing resolution as Congress seeks agreement on essential guardrails for ICE and related immigration enforcement activities in communities nationwide. The Save HIV Funding campaign sincerely thanks bipartisan Congressional appropriators for preserving vital funding for HIV at home and abroad.

The preservation of HIV funding through September 30, 2026^, is a major victory for people living with and vulnerable to HIV, the Save HIV Funding Campaign, and the broader HIV advocacy community who successfully overcame nearly $2 billion in proposed funding cuts for FY26. Of note, housing funding for people living with HIV/AIDS received a $24 million increase. The passage of the FY26 spending package ended the partial government shutdown in effect since this past Saturday. 

However, the fight is not over. While devastating cuts to federal funding have been averted for FY26, HIV and related communities cannot continue to deliver life-saving, cost-effective services with no new federal resources. Reduced insurance coverage because of halted enhanced premium tax credits, reduced Medicaid coverage as a result of HR 1 passage, and increasing healthcare costs are creating a situation in communities across the nation where access to HIV services is being cut. As we look toward FY27 and beyond, we must focus on securing funding consistent with what is needed to end HIV as an epidemic once and for all. We also must continue to support protections for immigrants and their communities as Congress addresses profound concerns raised by the DHS spending bill and the violence taking place in Minnesota and other communities.

The Save HIV Funding Campaign expresses its sincere gratitude to each stakeholder and advocate who made their voice heard to save HIV funding this past year. Thank you especially for your work over the past several weeks during this final push, and for showing solidarity with the people of Minnesota and in communities nationwide who are under threat of violence from  immigration enforcement abuses.