PHOTOS + VIDEO: AHEAD OF MIDTERMS, HIV ADVOCATES RALLY AT IDWEEK AS 139 ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO PROTECT CRITICAL RESEARCH FUNDING
Save HIV Funding's #CutsKill rally brings infectious disease leaders and #CutsKill Quilt panels to Washington, D.C., warning that funding threats could jeopardize decades of progress
WASHINGTON, D.C. — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026 — The Save HIV Funding campaign today released highlights from its #CutsKill Still Rally at IDWeek 2026 in Washington, D.C., where leading infectious disease experts, healthcare providers and HIV advocates gathered to sound the alarm over threats to federal HIV funding just days ahead of the midterm elections.
The October 21 rally followed an urgent congressional appeal signed by 139 organizations, calling for immediate action to protect the nation's HIV research infrastructure amid delayed funding for four sophisticated HIV clinical trial networks, threats of political interference in scientific grantmaking and the potential diversion of federal research dollars.
Set against a striking wall of black quilt panels inspired by the original AIDS Memorial Quilt, the rally brought together national health leaders and community advocates to underscore the human stakes of federal funding decisions — and warn that decades of progress in HIV research, prevention, treatment and care remain at risk.
139 ORGANIZATIONS SOUND THE ALARM
Delivered to congressional appropriations leaders on October 20, the organizational sign-on letter identifies three imminent threats to federal HIV research:
- Delayed clinical trial funding: An overdue funding opportunity threatens the renewal of four major HIV clinical trial networks — ACTG, IMPAACT, HPTN and HVTN — responsible for advancing HIV prevention, treatment and cure research.
- Political interference: Proposed changes to NIH grantmaking could undermine the scientific peer-review process and shift funding decisions toward political appointees.
- Threats to research dollars: The potential transfer of infectious disease research funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to the Department of Defense raises concerns about transparency, congressional oversight and the future of biomedical research.
The signatories warn that disruptions could dismantle research teams, compromise ongoing clinical trials and slow medical advances extending beyond HIV, including research into cancer, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and emerging infectious diseases.
READ THE FULL CONGRESSIONAL LETTER
THE HUMAN COST OF FUNDING CUTS
The rally brought together leaders from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), AVAC, Whitman-Walker Health, PrEP4All and the U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus.
- Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, CEO of IDSA, opened the program with a call to defend science and federal HIV programs.
- Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC, served as emcee, highlighting the campaign's efforts to safeguard HIV research.
- Ronald Johnson, representing the U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus, addressed the consequences of funding cuts for people living with HIV.
- Anna Person, MD, HIVMA Chair, emphasized the importance of collective advocacy and congressional leadership.
- Benjamin Brooks, JD, MPH, Director of Government Affairs at Whitman-Walker Health, addressed the consequences of defunding community-based HIV prevention organizations.
- Nada Fadul, MD, MPH, HIVMA Board Member, highlighted the implications of Medicaid funding changes and research losses for patients and healthcare providers.
A LOVE LETTER TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV
One of the rally's most personal moments came when Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director of PrEP4All and co-founder of the Save HIV Funding campaign, read a love letter to people living with HIV written by advocate Kamaria Laffrey, who originated the campaign's powerful living obituary concept. Her deeply personal reflections inspired others living with HIV to write their own living obituaries, sharing the lives, futures and milestones they stand to lose if access to lifesaving treatment and care is threatened. Surrounded by #CutsKill Quilt panels, the reading brought the discussion back to the people whose lives depend on continued access to research, prevention, treatment and care.
A transcript is being provided HERE with the full video posted @SaveHIVFunding on IG HERE.
THE NEXT CONGRESS AND THE FUTURE OF HIV
The congressional appeal and rally come amid an ongoing national fight to protect HIV funding.
Through congressional engagement, community organizing and the campaign's #CutsKill demonstrations, Save HIV Funding has contributed to efforts that defeated $3.5 billion in proposed federal HIV funding cuts, including nearly $2 billion for FY26 alone.
Advocates warn that those victories do not eliminate the continuing threats to scientific research and public health infrastructure.
With the midterm elections approaching, the next Congress will help shape future decisions about biomedical research, Medicaid, HIV prevention programs and federal healthcare investments.
The campaign maintains that while scientific advances are bringing the possibility of ending the HIV epidemic closer, innovation alone cannot deliver that future without sustained funding and community-led implementation.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO
Video Assets HERE: courtesy Save HIV Funding Campaign
Still Photography by Kelly Price for IDWeek — Event
Still Photography by Kelly Price for IDWeek — Quilts and BROLL
Suggested photo captions:
- Black quilt panels form the backdrop of the #CutsKill Still Rally at IDWeek 2026 in Washington, D.C., on October 21.
- Infectious disease experts and community advocates gather to call for continued federal investment in HIV research, prevention and care.
- Jeremiah Johnson reads a letter written by advocate Kamaria Laffrey honoring people living with HIV.
ABOUT SAVE HIV FUNDING
Launched in 2023 by PrEP4All, AVAC, and the HIV Medicine Association in partnership with the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, the Save HIV Funding Campaign is a national coalition supported by more than 150 organizations representing advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, and community leaders. The campaign was formed in response to proposed Congressional cuts to federal HIV programs and has since helped avert more than $3.5 billion in domestic HIV funding cuts. Through coordinated advocacy, media engagement, and community mobilization, Save HIV Funding works to place the future of HIV prevention and care squarely in the national conversation. The campaign convenes community health providers and advocates nationwide, organizes bipartisan congressional engagement, and mobilizes public voices to ensure lifesaving HIV programs remain strong, accessible, and fully funded for the communities that rely on them.
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