“Tell Congress NO to anti-LGBTQ, anti-civil rights and anti-reproductive care amendments in LHHS funding bill!”

Every year, the U.S. Congress must pass appropriations bills to fund the federal government, including agencies that carry out vital services that our communities depend on, such as public education, food and drug safety, and access to health care services, among others. Not only has Congress failed to carry out this basic function on time over the last few decades, it has also injected partisan division into the process to such an unfathomable degree that even programs which have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support are under threat of being eliminated. Many of these programs offer critical services we rely on, and we are thrown into a state of perpetual crisis as politicians play with our lives for political points. 

Earlier this year, House Republican leadership released proposed funding bills far below the levels agreed to by their own leadership and the White House during the debt ceiling negotiations, undercutting the trust under which that negotiation took place. Now, we are disheartened and disappointed to learn that Republican members of the Illinois Congressional delegation have submitted amendments to the Labor Health and Human Services funding bill to further erode funding and protection for communities most impacted by HIV and social inequity.  

Amendments introduced by Republican Representatives Mike Bost (IL-12) and Mary Miller (IL-15) attack protections for LGBTQ students, and would defund key leadership roles within the Education and Health and Human Services agencies, which oversee programs that Illinoisans depend on such as public education, occupational safety, Medicaid and Medicare, Ryan White for HIV care, family planning services, STI prevention services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more. At a time when we need robust leadership at the helm of these agencies as we unwind pandemic-era protections, these representatives are proposing policy and budget changes that would drag us into further chaos. 

Meanwhile, Democratic members of the Illinois delegation are introducing amendments to eliminate harmful anti-LGBTQ provisions, ensure civil rights offices are funded across various agencies, fund the office of refugee resettlement, and to protect reproductive rights. Democrats from Illinois are sponsoring amendments that promote research integrity at the National Institutes of Health, and support programs like Healthy Start, which addresses the growing infant mortality rate. 

Make no mistake: the harmful amendments being sponsored by Representatives Bost and Miller are political theater—pure and simple. They are dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate, and waste precious time that could be better spent working in a bipartisan manner to avoid a government shutdown (which may happen as soon as Friday, November 17).  It is vital that they know Illinoisans will not stand for this. We urge you to contact your federal Member of Congress to tell them to vote NO on amendments that are harmful to the LGBTQ community, erode civil rights work, attack reproductive care, and cut HIV funding. You can also take quick action today by participating in our mobile action to send a letter to your elected representatives in Congress to urge them to support full funding for HIV programs. It’s as simple as entering your contact information and clicking send!