Fear not the ghosts, goblins, witches, or vampires this Halloween.  It is the specter of sequestration and its looming cuts that are the most frightful.

If Congress and the President do not reach an agreement by January 1 to address the nation's deficit, automatic cuts will slash funding for vital health care, treatment, housing, and other essential services for low-income people with HIV. The automatic cuts are called "sequestration" -- a scary name for terrifying cuts.

• 15,708 people could lose access to life-saving drugs due to a $77 million cut to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program
• 4,738 households could lose housing support
• 460 AIDS research grants will be eliminated

Tell your U.S. senators and representatives that we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction.  Revenue increases must be a part of the solution to avert harmful cuts that will cost more lives and more money and to ensure that essential public health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare are protected.

Three steps to take action:

1. Go here and look up your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative.
2. Call all three at their offices and leave this message:
   

   My name is _____________ and I live in your district. I am calling to urge Sen./Rep. ___________ to address the deficit responsibly by raising revenue and safeguarding essential federal programs, including Medicaid, for people living with HIV. Sequestration cuts to our nation's social safety net will not end the federal deficit. They will cost more lives and more money.

3. Lastly, Take some credit! Send us an email to report on your advocacy.