The West Hollywood City Council has adopted a resolution opposing recent efforts by the Trump administration to eliminate funding for HIV prevention and treatment programs both in the United States and abroad.
The resolution, approved at the Council’s regular meeting on April 7, 2025, formally expresses the city’s opposition to proposed cuts affecting HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment services.
For more than four decades, West Hollywood has been recognized for its role in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city became a center of political activism and community response during the height of the crisis. That legacy continues through initiatives such as the HIV Zero Initiative, which focuses on preventing new infections and reducing stigma surrounding HIV.
In 2019, the Trump administration announced a national plan to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030. The “Ending the HIV Epidemic” initiative targeted resources toward jurisdictions with the highest rates of new infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2018 and 2022, new HIV infections declined 12% nationwide, with a 21% decrease in the areas prioritized by the initiative.
In early 2025, however, reports indicated a significant shift in federal policy. The Trump administration announced plans to dismantle the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, transferring some responsibilities to other agencies. The HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute confirmed in April that the administration had eliminated staff in several CDC offices focused on HIV prevention, including programs dedicated to public health communication, research, and capacity building.
Additional changes have impacted the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has terminated at least 20 grants for HIV prevention and treatment research. Several of these grants supported services for transgender individuals, children, and other populations considered at higher risk of infection.
Organizations providing HIV testing and treatment have also faced the loss of federal funding after being found in violation of executive orders prohibiting the inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion language in program materials. The CDC has reportedly paused data collection related to transgender individuals in its HIV surveillance systems and suspended public awareness campaigns.
International HIV prevention efforts have been similarly affected. Cuts to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs have disrupted clinical trials and HIV-related services in many countries, according to public health organizations monitoring the situation.
The resolution adopted by the West Hollywood City Council calls for the restoration of federal support for HIV prevention and treatment efforts worldwide. The city will send copies of its resolution to President Donald J. Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and members of the region’s congressional delegation, including Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff and Representative Laura Friedman.
West Hollywood has long maintained a commitment to supporting local HIV and AIDS services. The city was one of the first government entities to fund local HIV/AIDS organizations through social service grants, a practice that continues today through its Human Services Division.
For more information about local HIV and AIDS services, visit www.weho.org/humanservices or call (323) 848-6510.
What ever the problems are in West Hollywood even at their very worst possible, they pale in comparison to the Trump administration’s attack on the CDC and Public Health. The US anti-vaccine movement is now firmly embedded in the highest levels of government, where they having NO Medical
Science qualifications are overseeing all of the public health agencies, making drastic cuts and, destroying healthcare.
The Trump administration’s cuts to Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Scientists, clinical trials and, research threatens 40+ years of HIV Medical Science progress. CDC researchers and even other HIV research & healthcare experts warned us repeatedly that would happen. “Reductions in force” last week at the CDC gutted all branches for HIV prevention services like expert guidance on infant infection prevention, at-home testing programs, long running surveys following those living with and at risk for HIV, statistical analysis of U.S. HIV incidence, guidelines on HIV prevention drug use & funding for free PrEP and, even including a powerful… Read more »
Agreed. But what about the LGBT Center closing it’s Weho Clinic? The among other factors, they sight lease issues, safety concerns and parking limitations for patients. Hopefully Weho will look at their own back yard as well as the implications of concerning national efforts to diminish important funding programs.