Sweeping Changes to HIV/AIDS Advisory Council Under Trump Administration

The Trump administration is removing all members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, with no set timeline for replacements, as part of an overhaul of the government's HIV prevention and treatment efforts. This decision comes amid substantial layoffs in federal health agencies, causing widespread concern about the future of HIV policy in the U.S.

The Trump administration is initiating a major revamp of its HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategy by removing all members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The decision, confirmed by Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Andrew Nixon, comes with no immediate plans to appoint new members to the council established 30 years ago.

The overhaul is part of a broader governmental cutback, including a recently implemented layoff of 10,000 federal health employees under HHS. It has particularly affected individuals working in HIV-related roles, with five branches of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV prevention division eliminated, and about 150 jobs cut.

Former Council co-chair Carl Schmid describes U.S. HIV policy as being in 'crisis mode' following these changes, despite Trump's previous initiatives reportedly reducing new HIV infections by 12% from 2018 to 2022. The administration plans to launch a new division for HIV/AIDS within its proposed Administration for a Healthy America, aiming for a streamlined approach to ending the epidemic.

(With inputs from agencies.)