News you need to knowSix experts resigned from President Trump’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) because they believe that, “the Trump Administration does not take the on-going epidemic or the needs of people living with HIV seriously.”
Why this is nor normalSince 1995, PACHA has advised presidents on HIV/AIDS issues. The general public may think that issues surrounding HIV/AIDS are “under control,” but they’re not. For 20 years, life-saving drugs have been available, but only 40 percent of folks living with HIV in the U.S. have access to them.
After Trump’s inauguration, he took down the Office of National AIDS Policy website and has yet to reinstate it. He’s also yet to appoint anyone to head the Office of National AIDS Policy so the office is currently closed. His corporate-friendly obsession with ending the Affordable Care Act will hinder, even more, people’s access to education and treatment for HIV/AIDS.
Scott A. Schoettes, the HIV project leader of LAMBDA Legal, wrote via Newsweek, “The Trump Administration has no strategy to address the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic, seeks zero input from experts to formulate HIV policy, and – most concerning – pushes legislation that will harm people living with HIV and halt or reverse important gains made in the fight against this disease.”
It’s not normal for an administration to so ignore a council that experts believe advocating outside of the White House is a more effective strategy for change than working for the president.
Patty TempletonDGO Staff Writer
