Congresswoman Waters Seeks Robust Funding for Domestic HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment Programs in Fiscal Year 2017

May 11, 2016

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), a congressional leader on HIV/AIDS issues, called for increases in funding for domestic HIV/AIDS programs in fiscal year 2017. The proposed increases were included in two letters to leaders of the House Committee on Appropriations, which were signed by many of the Congresswoman’s congressional colleagues.

Congresswoman Waters’ first letter requested an appropriation of $610 million in fiscal year 2017 for the Minority AIDS Initiative, which was established under Congresswoman Waters’ leadership in 1998 to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities. The Minority AIDS Initiative targets funds for HIV/AIDS prevention, screening, treatment, education, and outreach to minority communities heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the initiative received $437 million in fiscal year 2013 and $425.4 million in fiscal year 2014. The letter, which Congresswoman Waters organized, was signed by a total of 76 Members of Congress.

“Racial and ethnic minorities continue to be severely and disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS in the United States,” said Congresswoman Waters and her colleagues in the letter. “Minorities represent the majority of new HIV infections, people living with HIV/AIDS, and deaths among people with HIV/AIDS.”

The full text of the letter can be viewed here:

2016 Congresswoman Waters Minority AIDS Initiative.pdf (456.17 KB)

Congresswoman Waters also joined Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Jim McDermott (D-WA) as a co-leader of a letter urging appropriators to increase funding for several domestic HIV/AIDS programs. The letter requests increases in funding for HIV/AIDS care and treatment through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, HIV prevention programs, and HIV/AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This letter was signed by 87 Members of Congress and can be found online here:

2017 Ryan White Letter.pdf (576.23 KB)

“With more than one million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, Congress must take every bipartisan initiative it can to support the research, prevention, screening, and treatment of this disease,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Our call for robust funding will better support at-risk minority and LGBT communities and bring us closer to finally defeating HIV and AIDS.”

Congresswoman Waters has been a consistent advocate for HIV/AIDS response efforts throughout her tenure in Congress. In 1998, she spearheaded the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative and in subsequent years has continued to advocate for its robust funding. On February 5, 2015, she reintroduced the Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2015 (H.R. 768) to provide for an effective HIV/AIDS program in federal prisons; the bill now has 35 cosponsors.