State & Fed Leaders: Reject RFK Jr.’s Cuts to Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed eliminating 10,000 positions from HHS, including the entire staff of the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP). This move is not just irresponsible—it’s dangerous. The OIDP plays a critical role in our national public health response, coordinating HIV prevention strategies, promoting vaccine education, and managing emergency preparedness (HHS.gov, 2024). Eliminating it would undo decades of progress and put lives at risk. The OIDP helped lead the rollout of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which expanded access to prevention tools like PrEP and contributed to real reductions in HIV transmission in some of the most affected communities (CDC, 2023). It also helped coordinate state outreach and public education during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve vaccine confidence and fight disinformation. These are not abstract accomplishments—this is work that has saved lives. Without the OIDP, the burden shifts to state and local governments, many of which are already overwhelmed and underfunded. Public health departments—especially in rural and underserved areas—depend on federal coordination and support. Losing that guidance will lead to slower responses, less effective disease control, and more illness and death (National Academy of Medicine, 2022). RFK Jr. has a long record of promoting vaccine conspiracies. Placing him in charge of dismantling public health protections is not just misguided—it’s deadly (AAP, 2023). If this office disappears, so does our national strategy for fighting infectious diseases and preventing another public health crisis. To state and local officials: this is not just a federal issue. If the OIDP is dismantled, your communities will suffer. Please take action now. Speak out publicly, pass resolutions, and pressure federal agencies to reverse course. Americans depend on these programs to stay safe and healthy. Do not let this happen without a fight. References: - CBS News, 2025. “RFK Jr. to Gut Vaccine Promotion and HIV Prevention Office” HHS.gov, 2024. “Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy” - CDC, 2023. “Progress in HIV Prevention and the Role of Federal Coordination” - National Academy of Medicine, 2022. “Public Health Infrastructure and the Threat of Disinvestment” - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 2023. “RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Misinformation Threatens Public Health”