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Chicago Tribune
23-07-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Groups that support LGBTQ+ individuals brace for funding cuts that could affect HIV care, prevention
Chicago-area groups that support LGBTQ+ individuals are navigating an uncertain landscape while bracing for federal funding cuts that could affect HIV care and prevention. Cuts outlined in President Donald Trump's proposed 2026 budget mean some groups stand to lose federal funds that support medical services like testing and HIV treatment, as well as nonmedical patient supports such as housing and food subsidies. Research money that goes toward drug development is also on the chopping block. Advocates say that because the virus disproportionately affects transgender, Black and Latino individuals — and prevention efforts have been focused on those communities — HIV funding has taken a hit as diversity, equity and inclusion programs are rolled back. 'When we allocate funds to prioritize the needs of this community, it's a community that has been impacted by health disparities since before we've been counted by the census,' said Terra Campbell, associate director of community relations at LGBTQ+ health care provider Howard Brown Health. 'It's not special treatment. It's investment in the needs of your neighbor and the community.' The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center's funding will be cut completely in the current budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. It provides training and support for health care professionals working in HIV prevention, care and treatment. Shanett Jones, Illinois program director, estimates the center trains more than 4,000 providers every year. The center receives funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, the largest federal program for HIV in America. The 2026 budget proposal eliminates the part of the Ryan White program that establishes and funds all AIDS education and training centers across the United States. 'If we do lose this funding, we risk having a less prepared workforce, which leads to delayed diagnosis of people living with HIV,' Jones said. 'This is an infrastructure that, once it's dismantled, it does not come back easily — you can't win the race by slashing the engine.' AIDS Foundation Chicago gets more than 80% of its funding from federal sources. Alongside advocacy work, the foundation provides support services for people living with HIV, including testing and prevention resources, education, housing and health insurance. In 2024, the foundation served more than 8,000 people in the Chicago area. Timothy Jackson, senior director of policy, said the foundation is currently planning for a projected loss of 40% of those funds in the president's 2026 budget request. AIDS Foundation Chicago is partially funded by both Ryan White and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization, the proposed budget cuts all of the CDC's HIV prevention funds. The foundation also receives funding through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program, which will also be eliminated in the proposed 2026 budget. These nonmedical services are essential for reducing HIV in Chicago, Jackson said. 'We have to look at all of the other things that make HIV possible, or make the transmission of HIV possible. So that's when we talk about housing, that's when we talk about harm reduction. That's why we talk about transportation and food access and all of these other different things,' he said. AIDS Foundation Chicago filed a lawsuit in February along with two other nonprofits challenging executive orders that sought to end 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' programs and equity-related grants and contracts. 'Our mission is rooted in ending HIV and homelessness in the communities that are most impacted. And it is very difficult to do that when you are not leading with equity,' Jackson said. These organizations' work has already been affected by the National Institutes of Health funding pause earlier this year, and will continue to be affected by cuts to research funding in the planned budget. Jackson said the recent success of the twice-annual HIV prevention shot, lenacapavir, would not have been possible without NIH and CDC funding. 'This administration does not value science. We see that play out over the huge cuts at the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, which all impact HIV and the work around new HIV treatment and prevention modalities,' Jackson said. Even groups that are not largely reliant on federal funding are experiencing the strain of an uncertain economic future. Chris Balthazar, executive director of TaskForce Prevention and Community Services, a health and wellness group serving LGBTQ+ youth in Chicago, says many of his organization's partners are only signing contracts for quarterly periods, instead of their usual 12-month periods, in case funding disappears. These partners are how TaskForce provides many of its services, which include legal and housing aid, HIV and other STD testing, and connecting patients to medical care. 'Imagine what the impact of that is on the ground. How do you sustain a job on a grant that you don't even have a full 12-month contract for?' he said. Additionally, Balthazar explained that while state funding is not being cut as explicitly as federal funding, it is still expected to decline. The federal government partially funds the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health, which then give grants to groups like TaskForce. Since the health departments don't know what sort of funding to expect in the next year, they aren't able to commit to the same grants they have in years previous. 'So much of the state budget comes from the federal budget. And I think that it's scary that, unfortunately, if this continues and nothing is undone, we're going to see major cuts, and we're going to see more and more people who are on the margins of the margins be even more drastically devastated by this,' he said. Both Jackson and Jones said that the most important thing anyone can do for HIV care and prevention in Chicago right now is to call their representatives and express support for continued HIV funding. 'It's reassuring that we have people who are still engaged, who are still advocating, who are still hoping. And when I go and I talk to community groups, I tell them, we can't go back to the '80s,' Jackson said. 'We're going to do what we have always done in 40-plus years of the epidemic: rely on community to get us through.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly calls out Trump administration funding freezes in Hazel Crest
Becky Gremley, of Mokena, said when her 17-year-old autistic son, Oliver, heard Donald Trump was elected to a second term as president, he asked, 'What's going to happen to me and my future?' Gremley said Thursday she worries often how Trump's pause in federal funding and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs could affect Oliver, a student at Lincoln-Way High School. Trump also made promises on the campaign trail to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, which Gremley said provides resources and accommodations that have helped Oliver thrive. 'If President Trump succeeds in dismantling the board of education, canceling Medicaid and/or DEI, that will jeopardize my son's future education and make it harder for him to be a successful, independent adult,' Gremley said at the news conference with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in Hazel Crest. Kelly was joined by Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr., leaders of Chicago area organizations that benefit from federal aid and others who explained their concerns about Trump's pause in federal funding, which the president said is to ensure spending is in line with his agenda as well as a House Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars in spending for Medicaid. John Peller, the president and CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago, was firm in his opposition to Trump's executive order ending equity-related grants and contracts from the federal government. The AIDS Foundation Chicago, along with two other nonprofits, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the executive order and two others related to DEI. The AIDS Foundation Chicago receives close to $35 million annually from the federal government, the loss of which would force the foundation to cease operations, according to the lawsuit. 'Thousands of AFC's clients achieve greater stability thanks to a constellation of federal programs that provide critical support,' Peller said. Those programs include Medicaid for health care, mental health and substance use services, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Program, which the AFC uses to support 1,300 people living with HIV, and the Ryan White Program that supports case management and access to HIV medications, he said. While many speakers focused on future affects of Trump administration agenda items, Debra Shore said she was dismissed from the Environmental Protection Agency's Chicago office Friday as part of a set of mass firings aimed at shrinking the federal workforce. Shore said these efforts, which have largely been spearheaded by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, will usher in 'a patronage system where what matters is not what you know, but who you know.' 'We in the Chicago region certainly know the patronage can be corrosive and corrupt,' Shore said. Alsberry told the Daily Southtown after the news conference that south suburban leaders are working together to determine how to manage the fear and confusion developing in response to the flurry of federal action. 'It's hard for people to keep up, and they're really, really afraid,' Alsberry said. When it comes to ensuring Hazel Crest and other municipalities continue receiving federal assistance, Alsberry said he is following the lead of state and county officials. He said as mayor he is looking to amplify the importance of townships as a 'social net' in the Southland so residents can continue to receive the government support they need. 'We're talking about food banks, we're talking about services for the indigent — the townships are the ones who take care of all that,' Alsberry said. 'So we're going to have to be sure that our townships are ready to take on that burden and understand what's coming.' ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly calls out Trump administration funding freezes in Hazel Crest
Becky Gremley, of Mokena, said when her 17-year-old autistic son, Oliver, heard Donald Trump was elected to a second term as president, he asked, 'What's going to happen to me and my future?' Gremley said Thursday she worries often how Trump's pause in federal funding and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs could affect Oliver, a student at Lincoln-Way High School. Trump also made promises on the campaign trail to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, which Gremley said provides resources and accommodations that have helped Oliver thrive. 'If President Trump succeeds in dismantling the Board of Education, canceling Medicaid and/or DEI, that will jeopardize my son's future education and make it harder for him to be a successful, independent adult,' Gremley said at the news conference with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in Hazel Crest. Kelly was joined by Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr., leaders of Chicago area organizations that benefit from federal aid and others who explained their concerns about Trump's pause in federal funding, which the president said is to ensure spending is in line with his agenda as well as a House Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars in spending for Medicaid. John Peller, the president and CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago, was firm in his opposition to Trump's executive order ending equity-related grants and contracts from the federal government. The AIDS Foundation Chicago, along with two other nonprofits, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the executive order and two others related to DEI. The AIDS Foundation Chicago receives close to $35 million annually from the federal government, the loss of which would force the foundation to cease operations, according to the lawsuit. 'Thousands of AFC's clients achieve greater stability thanks to a constellation of federal programs that provide critical support,' Peller said. Those programs include Medicaid for health care, mental health and substance use services, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Program, which the AFC uses to support 1,300 people living with HIV, and the Ryan White Program that supports case management and access to HIV medications, he said. While many speakers focused on future affects of Trump administration agenda items, Debra Shore said she was dismissed from the Environmental Protection Agency's Chicago office Friday as part of a set of mass firings aimed at shrinking the federal workforce. Shore said these efforts, which has largely been spearheaded by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, will usher in 'a patronage system where what matters is not what you know, but who you know.' 'We in the Chicago region certainly know the patronage can be corrosive and corrupt,' Shore said. Alsberry told the Daily Southtown after the news conference that south suburban leaders are working together to determine how to manage the fear and confusion developing in response to the flurry of federal action. 'It's hard for people to keep up, and they're really, really afraid,' Alsberry said. When it comes to ensuring Hazel Crest and other municipalities continue receiving federal assistance, Alsberry said he is following the lead of state and county officials. He said as mayor, he is looking to amplify the importance of townships as a 'social net' in the Southland so residents can continue to receive the government support they need. 'We're talking about food banks, we're talking about services for the indigent — the townships are the ones who take care of all that,' Alsberry said. 'So we're going to have to be sure that our townships are ready to take on that burden and understand what's coming.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEIA executive orders
A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump's executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump's orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA programs within the federal government, public funding for several nongovernment organizations, including the three plaintiffs, are at risk of being cut. As a result, the civil rights organizations — the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation Chicago — said in their lawsuit that they will be less able to help "people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities overcome systemic barriers to access housing, education, employment, and healthcare stemming from discrimination, biases, and inequalities.' Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, which are representing the civil rights organizations, said in a separate statement that the 'orders will severely limit the organizations' ability to provide critical social and health services.' Two of the orders specified in the lawsuit are the 'Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing' and the 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,' which Trump signed on Jan. 20, his first day back in office. The third executive order cited in the lawsuit, 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' was issued Jan. 21. The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and more than a dozen key members of his administration including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump Administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government," Harrison Fields, a White House principal deputy press secretary, told NBC News in a statement Wednesday. "Every man and woman in this great country should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, grit, excellence, and perseverance are our strengths.' Previously, Trump's executive orders have labeled DEIA programs to help marginalized groups as 'discriminatory' and his supporters have tried to spin what critics have called attacks on the transgender community as attempts to protect cisgender women. 'While the President may have his viewpoint, as flawed and discriminatory as it may be, the First Amendment bars him from unduly imposing his viewpoint on federal contractors and grantees,' the lawsuit states. Also, Trump's executive orders 'could prohibit Plaintiffs from engaging in any targeted effort to help a specific group of people facing unfair disadvantages." Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in the press release announcing the lawsuit that targeting DEIA was 'discriminatory at best and an attempt at institutionalized economic oppression at its worst.' Janai Nelson, who heads the Legal Defense Fund, agreed. 'The three orders we are challenging today perpetuate false and longstanding stereotypes that Black people and other underrepresented groups lack skills, talent, and merit — willfully ignoring the discriminatory barriers that prevent a true meritocracy from flourishing,' Nelson said. The lawsuit also noted that the language in Trump's executive orders 'are 'extraordinarily vague.' In the press release announcing the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund included testimonials from a Black man with HIV named Will, who was identified as an AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) program 'participant and caseworker for another organization.' 'Now, as I work in the HIV field," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the threat these orders represent to AFC's ability to serve our communities if they can't even name the issues our people are facing.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEIA executive orders
A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump's executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump's orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA programs within the federal government, public funding for several nongovernment organizations, including the three plaintiffs, are at risk of being cut. As a result, the civil rights organizations — the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation Chicago — said in their lawsuit that they will be less able to help "people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and/or people with disabilities overcome systemic barriers to access housing, education, employment, and healthcare stemming from discrimination, biases, and inequalities.' Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, which are representing the civil rights organizations, said in a separate statement that the 'orders will severely limit the organizations' ability to provide critical social and health services.' Two of the orders specified in the lawsuit are the 'Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing' and the 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,' which Trump signed on Jan. 20, his first day back in office. The third executive order cited in the lawsuit, 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' was issued Jan. 21. The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and more than a dozen key members of his administration including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump Administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government," said Harrison Fields, a White House principal deputy press secretary, told NBC News in a statement on Wednesday. "Every man and woman in this great country should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, grit, excellence, and perseverance are our strengths.' Previously, Trump's executive orders have labeled DEIA programs to help marginalized groups as 'discriminatory' and his supporters have tried to spin what critics have called attacks on the transgender community as attempts to protect cisgender women. 'While the President may have his viewpoint, as flawed and discriminatory as it may be, the First Amendment bars him from unduly imposing his viewpoint on federal contractors and grantees,' the lawsuit states. Also, Trump's executive orders 'could prohibit Plaintiffs from engaging in any targeted effort to help a specific group of people facing unfair disadvantages." Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said in the press release announcing the lawsuit that targeting DEIA was 'discriminatory at best and an attempt at institutionalized economic oppression at its worst.' Janai Nelson, who heads the Legal Defense Fund, agreed. 'The three orders we are challenging today perpetuate false and longstanding stereotypes that Black people and other underrepresented groups lack skills, talent, and merit — willfully ignoring the discriminatory barriers that prevent a true meritocracy from flourishing,' Nelson said. The lawsuit also noted that the language in Trump's executive orders 'are 'extraordinarily vague.' In the press release announcing the lawsuit, Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund included testimonials from a Black man with HIV named Will, who was identified as an AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) program 'participant and caseworker for another organization.' 'Now, as I work in the HIV field," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the threat these orders represent to AFC's ability to serve our communities if they can't even name the issues our people are facing.'
