By Omar Martinez Gonzalez, Sr. Manager, Policy & Advocacy, AFC
CHICAGO, IL – AIDS Foundation Chicago applauds the bipartisan passage of a continuing resolution (CR) on Saturday, September 30, 2023, to avert a detrimental government shutdown. We thank the thirteen Members from Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives and our two U.S. Senators who voted in favor of passing this resolution, which ensures that people living with HIV can continue to receive the care and support they need to remain healthy. We are disappointed that this common-sense measure did not receive full support from the entire Illinois delegation, with four Members voting against the CR, and urge Members to consider the undue impact on our most vulnerable Illinoisans if we allow funding for services to lapse.
We urge Members of the Illinois Delegation to continue this spirit of bipartisanship to pass appropriations bills that work for the American people, and which ensure full funding for HIV programs. Given that HIV programs have been largely flat funded for the last decade, and the rising pressure of inflation on these services, cuts to HIV programs are simply unacceptable. People living with HIV, those impacted by it, and HIV service organizations cannot afford the uncertainty of another potential shutdown, and we urge you to pass full appropriations for HIV programs and other vital services before the current CR expires on November 17, 2023.
