The White House’s recently released 2026 budget proposal, sent to Congress last Friday, includes steep cuts to healthcare programs within the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These programs include research into LGBTQ+ communities and HIV prevention initiatives.

The 40-page document was sent out by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to be reviewed by Congress. The president has vowed to reduce wasteful government spending and waste during his second term. Despite this, his proposed budget appears to relinquish funding from public health programs that help citizens, while also increasing our nation’s military budget by 13% (which many argue is overfunded) and increasing funding towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security.

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This increase in military and law enforcement spending can be seen as quite alarming, given the administration’s authoritarianism. If enacted, this budget plan would particularly harm LGBTQ+ people and those who rely on Medicaid by slashing HIV prevention and research programs, transgender healthcare access, and widespread diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

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Despite losing out on 26% of its budget, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did get one budget increase of $500 million towards the nonspecific aim to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA), a key focus of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The MAHA plan seeks to merge several existing agencies within the HHS while also terminating programs that help LGBTQ+ people. These include the Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and LGBTQ+ youth programs and crisis lines from the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs are initiatives meant to educate the public on HIV prevention to end new transmissions. The programs would lose a reported $74 million in federal funding.

Other key department threats include replacing funding for STI prevention at the CDC with a $300 million grant program, and making it clear in the proposal that LGBTQ+ health priorities will be disregarded entirely.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will lose $17 billion. Administration officials have justified the dramatic NIH cuts, citing the institutes’ research into trans people as a reason. However, the NIH would still retain $27 billion for research that “would align with the president’s priorities.”

A common theme among budget cuts repeatedly revoke funding for any groups that allegedly support “gender ideology.”

Other cuts include a 35% reduction to the Office for Civil Rights’ budget and eliminating fundamental equity programs for small businesses and Department of Justice grant programs.

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