#PrideIsAProtest Action Alert

Action Alert 06.06.2025

Hashtags:    #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest #PrideMonth

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Overview: 

Last year, with your help, we successfully beat back over $700 million in cuts Congress proposed to federal HIV programs for both Fiscal Year 2024 & Fiscal Year 2025. On May 30th, the President released a draconian FY26 budget request asking Congress to significantly cut HIV prevention and research as well as overdose prevention programs; eliminate housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, the Minority AIDS Initiative programs, and several Ryan White Program (RWP)-supported initiatives including dental care for people living with HIV, HIV provider education and training, and research. Advocates are also fighting to beat back billions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and other key supports in the Congressional reconciliation package. Ongoing efforts to eviscerate global health programs are already threatening HIV/AIDS services for millions of people around the world.

Please join us in urging Congress to reject these devastating cuts and fully fund life-saving and cost-reducing HIV programs!

Take Action:

Join the fight. Sign up for Save HIV Funding training series on direct action, media engagement, and in district meetings, or contact Maxx Boykin at [email protected]. 

And please join us in pushing back against these harmful proposals by using the toolkit below to contact members of Congress throughout June – #PrideIsAProtest!

Call Your Senators and Representative:

How to call:

You can reach your federal Representative and your two Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for them by name. 

To find your federal Representative and two federal Senators, please visit: https://ballotpedia.org/Who_represents_me

Suggested call script:

Please note that you should feel free to change the script below as needed for your jurisdiction or lived experience and you should not feel the need to read this exact script during the call.  It’s helpful to keep calls short.

  • Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m a constituent [living/working/caring for people] in your district/state. 
  • I am calling to urge [Sen. or Rep. Name] to:
    • Oppose the reconciliation package because it would cut Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP and other vital programs that support people living with or vulnerable to HIV, and 
    • Urge Congress to robustly fund HIV programs in FY26 spending bills that improve health outcomes while reducing costs.
  • Additional talking points:
    • Medicaid is the largest source of insurance coverage for people living with HIV and the largest source of federal funding for HIV treatment and prevention. Imposing unnecessary work requirements will cut people from the program and lead to worse health outcomes, including increased HIV cases and AIDS-related deaths.  
    • Preventing Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA plans from covering medically-necessary healthcare for transgender people and reducing access to women’s health care through Medicaid creates barriers to basic health care that is stigmatizing and will result in worse health and life outcomes.
    • In the President’s budget, well over 50,000 low-income people with HIV would lose housing assistance, adding to the existing 120,000 people with HIV who experience homelessness each year.
    • Efforts by the President to slash PEPFAR funding are already leading to service disruptions. UNAIDS analysis suggests that the permanent discontinuation of PEPFAR programs would, between 2025 and 2029, lead to an additional 6.6 million new HIV infections.
    • Deep cuts to the SNAP program would impact people living with HIV or at risk for HIV who rely on food to help them take their medications and maintain good health.
    • Increasing immigration detention and enforcement will deter people from seeking health care for fear of deportation, worsening health outcomes for individuals and families, including children, while dramatically increasing costs. 
    • Finally, Congress should robustly fund HIV prevention, care, treatment, housing, education, training, and research programs in the FY26 funding bills. These bipartisan programs save lives, improve health, and reduce costs.

If you are leaving a voicemail: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

Post on Social Media:

  • *Please feel free to change the social media messages below  to fit the social media platform(s) you use most often.

Sample Social Media Posts:

Short Posts

This #PrideMonth, call on Congress to reject catastrophic cuts to healthcare that will lead to higher costs to consumers and threaten access to HIV care and prevention, gender affirming care, and mental health for LGBTQ people. Congress must fully fund HIV services! #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest

Medicaid plays a crucial role in LGBTQ health, including coverage for HIV treatment, PrEP, gender affirming care, and mental health. This #PrideMonth, we call on Congress to reject drastic cuts to Medicaid that will hurt the LGBTQ community. #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest

Medicaid is the largest source of insurance coverage for people living with HIV and states with Medicaid expansion have shown significantly better PrEP uptake. This #PrideMonth, we call on Congress to reject drastic cuts to Medicaid. #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest

Longer Posts/Threads

(First Tweet) This #PrideMonth, call on Congress to reject cuts and fully fund HIV programs along with Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA! . #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest 

(Second Tweet) FY26 appropriations and the reconciliation bill threaten access to HIV care through cuts to HIV programs, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The House reconciliation bill would also forbid Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA plans from covering medically-necessary healthcare for transgender people. 

(First Tweet) The President’s FY26 budget request proposes the largest cuts to HIV programs ever – proposals to dramatically reduce funds for HIV prevention and research and eliminate HIV housing (HOPWA); the Minority AIDS Initiative; 

(Second Tweet) and Ryan White Program dental care, HIV provider education and training, RWP research. Congress must reject these cuts and robustly fund HIV programs in FY26 to save lives and reduce costs! #SaveHIVFunding #PrideIsAProtest