The City Council of the City of West Hollywood, at its regular meeting on Monday, April 7, 2025, approved the adoption of a Resolution opposing efforts by the Trump administration to cut HIV prevention and treatment programs worldwide. The Resolution expresses the City of West Hollywood’s strong opposition to cuts to programs aimed at HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and treatment.

During its 40-year history as an incorporated city, the City of West Hollywood has played a major role in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including serving as an epicenter of political activism in the 1980s and 1990s and spearheading initiatives such as its HIV Zero Initiative aimed at stopping new infections and ending discrimination and stigma.

In 2019, when the City’s HIV Zero Initiative strategic plan was published, the West Hollywood City Council released the following statement:

“We are at a moment in the HIV epidemic that so many have worked so tirelessly, and so long, to achieve. Today, after decades of direct action, political organizing, and strategic prevention and programmatic efforts, we have the bio-medical interventions to stop new HIV infections and help those who are HIV-positive reduce their viral loads to undetectable. We are proud of the role that the City of West Hollywood has played in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the 1980s, as gay men in our community were getting sick and dying all around us, the City responded with resources, creativity, and most importantly, with the deepest wells of compassion and commitment.”

In 2019, the first Trump administration outlined a goal of ending HIV in the United Sates by 2030. The “Ending the HIV Epidemic” (EHE) initiative focused resources in 57 jurisdictions with the highest need. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), new HIV infections decreased 12% from 2018 to 2022. The jurisdictions that were prioritized as part of the EHE initiative saw an even greater difference, with HIV incidence decreased by 21%.

In March 2025, however, news reports surfaced that the second Trump administration changed course. Rather than continuing this effort, the administration indicated plans to eliminate the CDC’s division focused on HIV prevention and shift some of its activities to a different agency.

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025 the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute – which monitors policies that impact the prevention and treatment of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other health conditions in the United States – issued a press statement confirming that the Trump administration eliminated the staff of several CDC HIV prevention offices, including entire offices conducting public health communication campaigns, modeling and behavioral surveillance, capacity building, and non-lab research.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) terminated at least 20 grants for research on HIV prevention and treatment, some of which were targeted towards transgender individuals, children, BIPOC communities, and others who are among those at highest risk of HIV. Additionally, several organizations that provide HIV testing and treatment services have had federal grant funding threatened for violating the Executive Orders by serving trans people or highlighting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their programs’ names or descriptions. The CDC has also stopped collecting data regarding trans people, including HIV surveillance systems, and paused public awareness campaigns about HIV.

While these changes impact domestic programs, HIV prevention efforts, including clinical trials, in much of the world have already been paused or eliminated with the Trump administration’s changes to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Most USAID’s foreign aid programs have been cut, devastating the global HIV/AIDS effort.

The City of West Hollywood’s Resolution opposing efforts by the Trump administration to cut HIV prevention and treatment programs worldwide will be sent with letters to President Donald J. Trump and copies of the letter will be shared with Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff; U.S. Representative Laura Friedman; and others as deemed appropriate.

The onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic had a significant impact in West Hollywood and the disease’s elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City. The City of West Hollywood was one of the first government entities to provide social services grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations, a legacy that continues today with the City’s Human Services Division. The City has a strong commitment to continuing supporting HIV/AIDS services and support. For additional information about local HIV and AIDS services, please visit www.weho.org/humanservices or call (323) 848-6510.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s legislative affairs efforts, please contact Hernán Molina, the City of West Hollywood’s Governmental Affairs Liaison, at (323) 848-6364 or hmolina@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.