HIV/AIDS Activists Unveil #CutsKill Quilt on Capitol Hill

Organizers of the #SaveHIVFunding campaign on September 5, 2025, unveiled the #CutsKill Quilt on Capitol Hill as a powerful visual presentation demanding urgent Congressional action to stop a proposed $2 billion in cuts to federal HIV programs.

Inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt of the 1980s, the #CutsKill Quilt was designed and created by community members and HIV service providers from across the country and around the world, and honors lives lost while warning of the devastating impact that billions in proposed federal cuts would have on HIV prevention, treatment, housing, and care. Each panel of the #CutsKill Quilt represents programs, services, and communities currently at risk if funding is gutted.

The action coincided with the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) and sent a clear message: #CutsKill, and Congress must act now to reject the House’s FY26 proposal, which would devastate access to care and erase decades of progress in the fight to end the HIV epidemic.

The #CutsKill Quilt brought together leading voices in HIV advocacy, public health, entertainment and government, including Maxx Boykin, Campaign Manager, Save HIV Funding; Javier Muñoz, performer (Hamilton) & HIV advocate; Jasmine Tasaki, Executive Director, Black and Pink & WeCare Tennessee; Representative Venton Jones, Texas State House of Representatives (D-HD100); Marnina Miller, Co-Executive Director, Positive Women’s Network; John Meade, Senior Policy Program Manager, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC); Lauren Banks, Executive Director, National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition; and Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director, PrEP4All.

HIV Funding Fast Facts

Federal HIV programs have more than 35 years of bipartisan support.

In 2003, President George W. Bush created PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which has saved 25 million lives worldwide. Domestically, Bush signed reauthorizations of the Ryan White CARE Act, expanding federal support for HIV care. Protecting HIV funding has historically been a bipartisan commitment to public health and stability.

Federal HIV programs are cost-effective.

Every $1 invested in HIV prevention saves the health care system $3 to $7 in future treatment costs. Cuts would increase long-term spending.

Medicaid is the largest source of coverage for people with HIV in the U.S.
Covering roughly 40% of people living with HIV, Medicaid expansion has been associated with a 33% increase in PrEP prescriptions. Cuts to HIV funding would have ripple effects across the entire Medicaid system, limiting access to care for millions of low-income Americans.

HIV care is part of the U.S. health care system.
Federal HIV funding supports access to preventive care, primary care, mental health services, housing, and medications. Cutting these funds would destabilize programs millions of Americans depend on—including those living with chronic conditions, low-income families, and uninsured people.

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Over 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV.
Additionally, over 500,000 rely on federal programs like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for lifesaving medication and care.

HIV prevention funding protects everyone.
The federal government funds access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily medication that reduces the risk of HIV infection by 99%. Rolling back funding would increase new HIV infections and long-term costs to the health care system.

HIV funding is about more than one disease.
These programs create a blueprint for coordinated, federally funded responses to health crises—from the opioid epidemic to COVID-19. Gutting HIV funding would weaken America’s preparedness for future public health threats.

HIV funding protects vulnerable communities.
Black and Latino communities account for more than 65% of new HIV diagnoses. Protecting these funds is about protecting racial and health equity. https://savehivfunding.org/

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AIDS Quilt
Published on September 11, 2025