California joins states suing Trump over planned HIV funding cuts
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California is joining three other states in suing the Trump administration over potentially $600 million in cuts to HIV prevention and other public health programs.
Why it matters: Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado and California say the administration's retaliatory funding cuts are politically motivated and risk millions in funding for programs that study and treat HIV, including interventions for high-risk populations.
- The $600 million in funding would also affect other public health programs, such as youth sexual violence prevention, and impact over 400 California public health workers' jobs, the lawsuit alleges.
Zoom in: New HIV diagnoses in San Francisco increased from 140 in 2023 to 146 in 2024, per the city's HIV epidemiology annual report.
- While the uptick is slight, a disproportionate number of new cases were recorded among Black residents.
- A total of 11,552 people live with HIV in San Francisco as of 2024, per the report.
What they're saying: "Local community nonprofits and public health systems rely on federal funding to provide critical safety net services ... and cannot sustain our work long-term without this funding," San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) CEO Tyler TerMeer told Axios via email.
- SFAF just received a letter from the Trump administration canceling a $500,000 grant Thursday, according to TerMeer. That funding supports clinical services that contributed to declines in HIV transmissions over the past decade by increasing access to testing and medications that prevent HIV infection for people most at risk, he noted.
- "These continued attacks on our public health infrastructure are dangerous, short-sighted, and will cost lives," especially communities of color disproportionately affected by HIV, TerMeer added.
The other side: Axios reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House but didn't receive a response.
Context: This latest lawsuit is one of dozens California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other states have brought against the Trump administration over cuts they say are driven by the states' opposition to the administration's policies on immigration enforcement, gender-affirming care and green energy.
- The states have been successful in many of those complaints, with judges blocking the funding cuts.
Reality check: While clinics like SFAF remain committed to maintaining services, public health experts say the Trump administration's cuts will have a detrimental impact and reverse years of progress.