Clinton Flat Funds Prevention Just as New AIDS Crisis Emerges

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Washington, D.C. -- Despite mounting evidence of increased HIV infection rates among young people and minorities, President Clinton's FY2000 budget released today proposes flat federal prevention funding for the fourth year in a row as well as an anemic 2% increase for substance abuse treatment programs. AIDS Action is also concerned about proposed increases in care and treatment that are far below the increases Congress provided last year.

"While President Clinton reversed his predecessors' neglect of AIDS care and research, he will share President Reagan's legacy of failure in HIV prevention," said AIDS Action executive director Daniel Zingale. "Where President Clinton fights to protect young people from smoking, he stands paralyzed in the fight to protect them from HIV."

For prevention funding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), President Clinton proposed $666 million in funding, which is $9 million more than last year, but below the rate of inflation. Even worse, the budget proposal comes just days after the CDC released a study showing the proportion of gay and bisexual men in San Francisco reporting unprotected anal intercourse -- commonly known as 'barebacking' -- has increased from 30.4% in 1994 to 39.2% in 1997, a near 30% spike. Just as alarming is the epidemic's expansion among young women and into minority communities. African-Americans comprise almost half of all new HIV infections and half of new AIDS diagnoses.

For more than a year, AIDS Action has been urging President Clinton to lead an effort for reinvigorated HIV prevention to protect a new generation of Americans from HIV. AIDS Action is particularly concerned about an increase in complacency resulting from a misperception that new life-prolonging AIDS drugs are somehow a cure. Indeed, half of the 40,000 new HIV infections each year are among young people.

"Continued prevention paralysis puts the 'Chelsea Generation' at risk for a new AIDS epidemic," added Zingale. "Because we've failed to make safe sex sexy for a new generation at risk, 'bareback chic' is tragically filling the void."

AIDS Action is also concerned about President Clinton's failure to match strong Congressional support for AIDS care and treatment programs. In particular, the President proposed no new funding for AIDS Education and Training Centers as well as only a $100 million increase for programs under the Ryan White CARE Act, far below the $261 million increase Congress provided last year.

"To halt the epidemic among minorities and young people, we need individuals, communities and national leaders to share responsibility toward stopping HIV and AIDS," added Zingale.