The CDC's HIV Prevention Division plays a crucial role in monitoring HIV infection rates, conducting essential HIV testing, and leading vital prevention efforts. Defunding or eliminating this division will threaten decades of progress toward ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and undermine our ability to effectively track, diagnose, and prevent HIV cases nationwide. State budgets and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lack the necessary resources and scope to adequately continue the division's work. For instance, HHS's Ryan White HIV/AIDS program solely serves individuals already diagnosed with HIV and cannot replicate the CDC's prevention-focused activities. Dismantling these efforts will prove costly from both public health and financial perspectives. I urge you to safeguard the CDC's HIV Prevention Division and preserve the substantial strides made in curbing the HIV epidemic, which has seen a 12% decrease in new HIV infections from 2018 to 2022 thanks to the division's effective initiatives. Protecting this division is vital for saving lives and taxpayer dollars by stopping the spread of HIV.
