Super Committee’s Failure to Reach Agreement Could Threaten Response to HIV/AIDS
The following is a statement from the National Minority AIDS Council Deputy Executive Director Daniel C. Montoya:
“The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) is extremely disappointed by the failure of the so-called ‘Super Committee’ to reach an agreement on a balanced deficit reduction plan. Its inability to achieve consensus will result in automatic cuts of approximately $50 billion in non-defense discretionary spending each year from 2013 through 2021. Significant portions of HIV/AIDS programs and funding, including the Ryan White CARE Act, fall into this category. While it is not yet clear which, if any programs may be affected by these cuts, NMAC urges Congress and federal agencies to work together to ensure that the failure of this committee will not derail our nation’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“As we work to fully implement both the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we cannot afford to arbitrarily slash funding for programs that seek to reduce new HIV infections, expand access to treatment and care and minimize health disparities. Advances in research and treatment have provided us the tools to end this epidemic. But this cannot be achieved without the appropriate investment from our government. Relying solely on cuts to reduce our deficit is unbalanced, unfair and threatens our nation’s public health. NMAC urges Congress and the Obama administration to ensure that the Super Committee’s failure to tackle the deficit will not result in our failure as a nation to end the AIDS epidemic.”
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Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 483-6622 ext. 333