April 19, 2004
VIA FAX
Dear Member of Congress:
We are writing to express our deep concern over several provisions in the adopted House and Senate Budget Resolutions that call for immediate and long-term cuts in funding for domestic discretionary and entitlement programs, and caps on spending for programs that are critical to providing care, treatment and other essential services to people living with HIV/AIDS. If these provisions are included in the final budget resolution, we will be taking a giant step backwards in our country's effort to conduct research that will eradicate HIV disease, our commitment to provide care and essential services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and our efforts to prevent new HIV infections.
We ask that you OPPOSE the conference report on the Budget Resolution if it includes any of the following provisions:
- Instructions that would require Committee action to cut $2.2 billion from entitlement programs over the next five years.
- Proposals to include binding caps on discretionary spending that would result in funding levels that are more than $100 billion below the level needed simply to maintain current services.
- Cuts to spending that will disproportionately affect low-income people living with HIV/AIDS, including a cut of $370 million from the Agriculture Committee that will devastate the Food Stamp program, and a requirement that the Ways and Means committee reduce deficits by $8 billion.
The significant reductions that are being proposed through changes to the budget process such as five-year caps on discretionary programs and reductions in entitlement spending are unacceptable. They seriously threaten advancements made in the research, prevention, care and treatment of HIV disease over the past two decades by disabling the array of programs supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, which funds the Ryan White CARE Act Program and its life-saving AIDS Drug Assistance Program. These programs have worked in concert to reduce deaths due to HIV disease in the U.S. by 60 to 80 percent.
Furthermore, proposals to gut federal support for all programs outside of homeland security come at a time when the United States has made a laudable commitment to fighting the global AIDS pandemic. Without adequate funding to support our commitment, the 14,000 new HIV infections that occur daily worldwide will not only continue but will increase.
If instructions to cut Medicaid spending and to cap discretionary health and social programs are included in the final agreement, the budget will have far-reaching and deleterious consequences for people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and abroad. Not enacting a Budget Resolution would be better than enacting one that eliminates the ability of Congress and the Executive Branch to respond to the public health and health care needs for the next five years and in the years to come.
Again, if the final budget resolution contains the any of the above provisions, we ask you to vote no.
If you have any questions, please contact Christine Lubinski at (703) 299-1215 or Ryan Clary at (415) 558-8669 x224.
Steering Committee of the HIV Medicaid & Medicare Workgroup
AIDS Treatment Data Network, New York City, NY
American Academy of HIV Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York City, NY
HIV Medicine Association, Alexandria, VA
Housing Works, New York City, NY
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Washington, DC
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
National Health Law Project, Los Angeles, CA
Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
Treatment Access Expansion Project (TAEP), Boston, MA
National Organizations
Africa Action, Washington, DC
AIDS Action, Washington, DC
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families, Washington, DC
AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, New York City, NY
AIDS Education Global Information System, San Juan Capistrano, CA
The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC and Tampa, FL
AIDS Treatment Action Coalition, USA
AIDS Treatment News, Philadelphia, PA
Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA
Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief Coalition (CAEAR), Washington, DC
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Washington, DC
Families USA, Washington, DC
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, San Francisco, CA
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC
Infectious Diseases Society of America, Alexandria, VA
International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, Chicago, IL
International AIDS Empowerment, Washington, DC
International Foundation for Alternative Research in AIDS, Portland, OR
Latino Commission on AIDS, New York City, NY
Medical Advocates for Social Justice, Chicago, IL
NAMES Project Foundation, Central New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC
National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US), Washington, DC
National Association for Victims of Transfusion-Acquired AIDS, Bethesda, MD
National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
National Youth Advocacy Coalition, Washington, DC
Save ADAP Committee of AIDS Treatment Action Coalition, USA
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS)
Title II Community AIDS National Network, Washington, DC
Treatment Action Group, New York City, NY
Local/Regional Organizations
UP East Bay, Oakland, CA
ACT UP Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
ACT UP Miami, Miami, FL
ACT UP Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
ACT UP/NY, New York City, NY
Action for A Better Community, Rochester, NY
African American Office of Gay Concerns, Newark, NJ
African Salvation Group Corp., Bronx, NY
AID Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
AIDS Action Coalition, Huntsville, AL
AIDS Action Committee, Boston, MA
AIDS Action Projects Northwest, Portland, OR
AIDS Affects U$ All, Ojai, CA
AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL
AIDS Community Residence Association, Durham, NC
AIDS Council of Gaston County, Gastonia, NC
AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, Albany, NY
AIDS Family Services of Western New York, Inc., Buffalo, NY
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL
AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma/Three Cedars, Tacoma, IL
AIDS Housing of Washington, Seattle, WA
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, Chicago, IL
AIDS Legal Referral Panel, San Francisco, CA
AIDS Project Greater Danbury, Danbury, CT
AIDS Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
AIDS Response - Seacoast, Portsmouth, NH
AIDS Services of Austin, Austin, TX
AIDS Services of Dallas, Dallas, TX
AIDS Survival Project - Providing Tools for Living with HIV, Atlanta AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
AIDS/HIV Health Alternatives, North Hollywood, CA
Alianza of New Mexico, Roswell, NM
The Aliveness Project of Northwest Indiana, Merrillville, IN
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco, CA
AMITY, Timberlake, NC
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, San Francisco, CA
Asian Pacific AID Intervention Team, Los Angeles, CA
The Assistance Fund, Houston, TX
BABES Network, Seattle, WA
Bailey-Boushay House, Seattle, WA
BASIC NWFL, Inc. Panama City, FL
Bedford Stuyvesant/Crown Heights HIV Care Network, Brooklyn, NY
Being Alive Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Being Alive Los Angeles, West Hollywood, CA
Black AIDS Awareness Group, Memphis, TN
The Boston AIDS Consortium, Boston, MA
BPAN, Brooklyn, NY
Breaking Barriers Community Services Center, Sacramento, CA
Birmingham AIDS Outreach, Birmingham, AL
Camp Heart to Heart, Lebanon Junction, KY
Care for the Homeless, New York City, NY
CARES, Sacramento, CA
Caritas House, Inc., Morgantown, WV
Cascade AIDS Project, Cascade, OR
Care Resource, Miami, FL
The Capacity Project, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, NYC, NY
The Center for AIDS: Hope and Remembrance Project, Houston, TX
Chicago Adult ACTG CAB, Chicago, IL
Chicago Area HIV AIDS Caucus, Chicago, IL
Christie's Place, San Diego, CA
CityWide Harm Reduction, Bronx, NY
Colorado AIDS Project, Denver, CO
Columbus AIDS Task Force, Columbus, OH
Community Health Awareness Group - Point of Change, Detroit, MI
Community Health Law Project, South Orange, NJ
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), New York City, NY
Community Initiatives, Greenwood, SC
Cooper Hospital/Cooper Early Intervention Program, Camden, NJ
Corporation for Supportive Housing, Oakland, CA
Covenant House Inc., Charleston, WV
DEAF Inc./ Project HOPE, Allston, MA
Dignity Dallas, Dallas, TX
DYNS Services, Inc., Bradenton, FL
East Alabama AIDS Outreach of EAMC, Auburn, AL
Ebony Sisters Campaigning for AIDS Prevention Education, Columbus, OH
Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services, New York City, NY
Ethics and Accountability in Health Care, Biloxi, MS
Exponents, New York City, NY
Families' and Children's AIDS Network, Chicago, IL
Families in New Directions, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Family Health Project, New York City, NY
Filipino Task Force on AIDS of Northern California, San Francisco, CA
Florida Keys HIV Community Planning Partnership, Key West, FL
FOUND, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research, Brooklyn, NY
Georgia ADAP Task Force, Georgia
Georgia Rural Urban Summit, Decatur, GA
Guam HIV/AIDS Network Project, Barrigada, Guam
Haitian Women's Program, Brooklyn, NY
Hands United Together, Van Nuys, CA
Harm Reduction Coalition, New York City, NY
Heart of Illinois HV/AIDS Center, Peoria, IL
Help Us Live, Portland, OR
Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Program, Oregon City, OR
HIV/AIDS Alliance of Michigan, Detroit, MI
HIV Consumer Rights Advocacy Project, San Francisco, CA
HIV/AIDS Law Project, Phoenix, AZ
HIV Advocacy Council of Oregon and SW Washington, Portland, OR
HIV Alliance, Eugene, OR
The HIV Consumer Caucus, Monroe County, FL
HIV Law Project, New York City, NY
The House of Grace, Inc., Charlotte, NC
Howard Brown Health Center, Chicago, IL
Human Resource Development Institute, Chicago, IL
The Human Sexuality Program, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NY
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, New Brunswick, NJ
Indianapolis Urban League, Indianapolis, IN
Iowa Center for AIDS Resources $ Education, Iowa City, IA
Jelani Unified Men's Project, Chicago, IL
Jersey City Connections, Inc., Jersey City, NJ
Jerusalem House Inc., Atlanta, GA
JSAS Healthcare, Inc., Asbury, NJ
Kansas Chapter of National Action Network, Stockton, KS
Kentucky AIDS Life Alliance, Louisville, KY
Kitsap County Health District, Bremerton, WA
Legal Services for Children, San Francisco, CA
Life Foundation, Honolulu, HI
Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Seattle, WA
Long Island Association for AIDS Care, Inc., Long Island, NY
Los Angeles Family AIDS Network, Los Angeles, CA
Maine AIDS Alliance, Augusta, ME
Maine HIV Advisory Committee, ME
Marin Treatment Center, San Rafael, CA
Martin Luther King Outreach and Development Corp., Vineland, NJ
McGregor Clinic, Inc., Fort Myers, FL
McDowell Health Care Clinic, Phoenix, AZ
Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH
Mendocino County AIDS Network, Ukiah, CA
Michigan HIV/AIDS Council, Okemos, MI
Michigan Positive Action Coalition, Detroit, MI
Midwest Hispanic Health Coalition, Chicago, IL
Minnesota AIDS Project, Minneapolis, MN
Minority AIDS Council of Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Calhoun Counties, Inc., Orangeburg, SC
Minority Task Force on AIDS, New York City, NY
Monterey County AIDS Project, Seaside, CA
Mount Sinai Faith Hope and Love Ministries, Inc., Thomasville, NC
Nashville CARES, Nashville, TN
New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition, Manchester, NH
New Jersey Association on Correction, Trenton, NJ
New Jersey Women and AIDS Network, New Brunswick, NJ
New Mexico Poz Coalition, Albuquerque, NM
New York AIDS Coalition, New York City, NY
New York City AIDS Housing Network, New York City, NY
New York Peers AIDS Education Coalition, New York City, NY
North Carolina Council for Positive Living, Burlington, NC
North Central Bronx Hospital, Bronx, NY
North Idaho AIDS Coalition, Coeur D'Alene, ID
North General Hospital: AIDS Center, New York City, NY
North Shore AIDS Health Project, Gloucester, MA
Northern Kentucky District Health Department, Fort Mitchell, KY
The Northside HIV & Health Coalition, Chicago, IL
Northern Nevada HIV Outpatient Program, Reno, NV
Ohio AIDS Coalition, Columbus, OH
The Osborne Association, Bronx, NY
Our Voices, Somerset, NJ
Partnership for Family Health: Northern Manhattan HIV Consortium, New York City, NY
Partnership Project, Portland, OR
People Living with HIV Planning Committee, Saint Louis, MO
Persons Living with HIV Action Network of Colorado, Denver, CO
Physician Assistants AIDS Network, San Francisco, CA
Pierce County AIDS Foundation
Planet Poz, Albuquerque, NM
Polari Medical Group, New York City, NY
Positive Family Services, Inc., Phoenix, AZ
Positive Health Clinic, Pittsburgh PA
Positive Voice Washington, Olympia, WA
Positives for Positives, Cheyenne, WY
Priority Africa Network, Berkeley, CA
Project Quest, Portland, OR
Project VIDA, Chicago, IL
Provincetown AIDS Support Group, Provincetown, MA
Public Interest Law Firm of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Puertorriquenos Asociados for Community Organization (P.A.C.O.), Grass Roots Initiative Program (G.R.I.P.) Program, Jersey City, NJ
Quest Initiative, College Station, TX
Redwood AIDS Information Network and Services, Redway, CA
Resources Unlimited Foundation, Oak Park, IL
The River Fund, Inc., Sebastian, FL
Ryan White Las Vegas EMA Planning Council, Las Vegas, NV
The Tom Thom Club, South Fork, CO
Triad Health Project, Greensboro, NC
Saint Louis Effort for AIDS, St. Louis, MO
Salt Lake Community Action Program, Salt Lake City, UT
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council, San Francisco, CA
San Mateo County AIDS Program, San Mateo, CA
Seattle HIV/AIDS Planning Council, Seattle, WA
Shanti, San Francisco, CA
Sickle Cell Association of the Piedmont, HIV/AIDS SCOPE Program, Greensboro, NC
Sister Love, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Someone Cares, Inc., of Atlanta, Smyrna, GA
South MS AIDS Task Force, Inc., Biloxi, MS
Southern Colorado AIDS Project, Colorado Springs, CO
Southside AIDS Venture, Danville, VA
Southwest C.A.R.E. Center, Santa Fe, NM
Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, Lafayette, LA
Special Audiences, Inc., Newark, NJ
Spokane AIDS Network, Spokane, WA
Sufficient As I aM, Baltimore, MD
Texas AIDS Network, Austin, TX
Tennessee AIDS Support Services, Inc., Knoxville, TN
Test Positive Aware Network, Chicago, IL
Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Inc., Union City, CA
ToGether We Can, Inc., Miami, FL
United Communities AIDS Network
Urban League of Wichita, Inc., Wichita, KS
Utica Citizens in Action, Utica, NY
Vermont People with AIDS Coalition, Montpelier, VT
Vital Bridges NFP, Inc., Chicago, IL
Voices of Women of Color Against HIV/AIDS, New York City, NY
Wake County Human Services, Raleigh, NC
West Alabama AIDS Outreach, Inc., Tuscaloosa, AL
The West Virginia Coalition for People with HIV/AIDS, Charleston, WV
West Virginia HIV Care Consortium, Wheeling, WV
Western Pacific Re-Hab, Glendale, CA
WE CARE - MN, Burnsville, MN
Who's Positive, State College, PA
Women's Center, Bronx, NY
The HIV Medicaid & Medicare Workgroup is a national coalition of individuals and organizations working to safeguard and expand Medicaid and Medicare for people living with HIV and AIDS.
For more information, contact Christine Lubinski at the HIV Medicine Association at (703) 299-1215 •
66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314
Activism/Policy Index