| Washington, DC – The Partnership to End HIV, STDs, and Hepatitis, a collaborative of the nation’s leading organizations focused on ending the epidemics of HIV, STDs, and hepatitis – AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute – issued the following statement on the release of President Biden’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget. “President Biden’s FY2023 Budget includes a historic proposal to increase access to PrEP in communities at greatest risk for HIV in addition to thoughtful and strategic investments in the nation’s overall fight to end the epidemics of HIV, STDs, and hepatitis. These funds represent a timely and important infusion of resources into the public health infrastructure needed to end the epidemics. By investing $237 million for a new national PrEP access program in the FY23 budget, with a proposed 10-year commitment of $9.8 billion, President Biden’s proposal would address racial and ethnic health disparities by increasing access to medication that prevents HIV for people who are uninsured and enrolled in Medicaid. If enacted, this proposal will help our nation meet a key goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. We look forward to working with Congress to make this funding proposal a reality. The budget commits an overall $850 million toward ending the HIV epidemic – a 80% increase over the FY 22 budget. It also includes an increase in funding for viral hepatitis programs and would establish a new program to ensure free access to vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for uninsured adults, and invests in revitalizing our nation’s public health infrastructure. HIV, STD, and hepatitis programs have struggled tremendously during COVID-19 as states and health departments have diverted resources and personnel toward the pandemic. Reinvesting in these programs now is crucial for ensuring they can continue to provide much-needed services. As a partnership, we are deeply committed to a syndemic approach to the epidemics of HIV, STDs, and hepatitis together, recognizing that investments in public health infrastructure have benefits for each individual epidemic but that we cannot optimize our results without joining these efforts together. Disappointingly, the request misses an opportunity to help states combat record-high STDs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. The Partnership strongly urges Congress to supplement the President’s request with significant additional resources to combat rising STD rates and for the Administration to support this increase through the Congressional process. We commend the President for initiating the FY 23 appropriations cycle with a forward-thinking, health equity-focused budget that will give our communities much-needed resources to continue existing efforts, undergird our public health systems, and establish groundbreaking new efforts to get PrEP to the people who need it. We urge Congress to ensure that these essential investments are enacted without delay so that we can continue our shared work to end the epidemics.” |
| ### About The Partnership the End HIV, STDs, and Hepatitis We are five of the nation’s leading organizations focused on ending the HIV, STD, and hepatitis epidemics in the United States – AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute. |