Trump Funding Cuts Won't Sink HIV Program, South Africa Says
South Africa has the world's biggest HIV epidemic and about 17% of the funding for its response has come from America's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar. President Donald Trump suspended that program in January, leaving a hole of 7.9 billion rand.
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Advocates worry new White House order on homelessness could hurt vets
Advocates and critics are warning that a recent White House order aimed at getting homeless individuals off city streets and public parks could cause significant problems for efforts to help veterans without stable housing. They argue that the executive order, signed July 24, would force veterans into institutions without considering their available options and discourage individuals from seeking help for multiple, interrelated issues. 'Veterans fought for this country,' officials from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans said in a statement on Friday. 'They have earned the dignity of a hand up in the way of investments in housing, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, and additional supportive services — not surveillance and detention.' President Donald Trump's executive order — 'Ending crime and disorder on America's streets' — would allow local officials to remove homeless individuals from public areas and permit those authorities to commit those Americans to drug treatment centers or other public health institutions. Advocates for homeless vets wary over proposed changes to VA programs 'Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,' the president's order states. 'Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.' The document also outlines ending support for 'housing first' policies, which administration officials argue 'deprioritize accountability and fail to promote treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency.' Homeless advocates have said that research shows the opposite. They insist that providing stable housing to individuals facing a host of mental health and financial problems gives them more security to clean up other aspects of their lives without worrying about where they will sleep at night. 'This deprives people of their basic rights and makes it harder to solve homelessness,' officials from the National Homelessness Law Center said in a statement shortly after the White House release. 'This executive order is rooted in outdated, racist myths about homelessness and will undoubtedly make homelessness worse.' The Department of Housing and Urban Development's annual point-in-time count conducted in early 2024 found roughly 33,000 veterans living on the street without stable housing, a reduction of about 2,700 individuals from the 2023 count. That number is less than half the estimated 74,000 homeless veterans nationwide in 2010, when then-President Barack Obama announced a federal government goal of ending veteran homelessness. But some areas — in particular, Los Angeles — have struggled to reduce those totals further in recent years. Advocates have pushed for more resources and fewer restrictions for community groups, but conservatives have questioned whether more funding will produce continued results. Officials from NCHV warned that involuntary hospitalization and institutionalization of homeless individuals instead of relying on community coordination of care may actually worsen the problem. 'For veterans — many of whom live with service-connected trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health conditions — forced treatment can retraumatize rather than heal,' they said in their statement. 'Moreover, institutionalization is often more expensive than providing housing and outpatient care and can be traumatic for individuals who are mandated into treatment settings without their consent. Veterans deserve access to voluntary, trauma-informed care in community settings, not confinement.' Trump's executive order drew immediate condemnation from Democratic critics, who said it was motivated by cost-cutting illusions rather than sound problem-solving policies. 'Hundreds of thousands of veterans rely on the incredibly successful HUD and VA housing assistance programs,' House Veterans' Affairs Committee ranking member Mark Takano, D-Calif., said. 'This directive misdiagnoses the root causes of homelessness – particularly among veterans – and proposes punitive measures that will punish and endanger the very people it claims to help. 'Instead of getting veterans off the street, this misguided approach delays that process and puts handcuffs on those vulnerable veterans. It will exacerbate the homelessness crisis.' White House and Department of Justice officials have not yet outlined exactly how the new order will be enforced, and when local officials might be able to change their approach to homeless response without legal concerns. Veterans Affairs officials have not announced any changes in their grant programs or assistance efforts as a result of the new order. In May, VA Secretary Doug Collins said that officials had begun work on Trump's ideas for a new 'National Center for Warrior Independence' in Los Angeles to provide more housing and employment support for the estimated 3,000 homeless veterans living there. He also promised continued focus on the issue in coming months. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
40 minutes ago
- The Hill
Top medical group presses RFK Jr. to keep health screening panel
A top U.S. health lobbying group is calling on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to not dismiss a preventive task force following a report he's planning to remove all of its members in the same way he ousted an entire vaccine advisory board earlier this year. The American Medical Association (AMA) wrote to Kennedy on Sunday to express its 'deep concern' over reporting that Kennedy is planning to dismiss all members of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). 'USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans—a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative,' the AMA wrote in a letter to Kennedy. The Wall Street Journal reported late last week that Kennedy was planning to dismiss the entire 16-member panel for being too 'woke' in his eyes, citing people familiar with the decision. The report comes after Kennedy in June dismissed the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, replacing the members with some known spreaders of vaccine information. When reached for comment by The Hill, a spokesperson the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said, 'No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again.' Just last month, the USPSTF's powers to make recommendations survived legal scrutiny when the Supreme Court upheld their constitutionality. Plaintiffs in the case argued the panel was unconstitutional. The case began when a Texas business did not wish to cover HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is recommended by the USPSTF. 'Given the essential role USPSTF members play in weighing the benefits and harms of preventive services such as screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medications, and making evidence-based recommendations for implementation in primary care settings, we urge you to keep the previously appointed USPSTF members and continue the task force's regular meeting schedule to ensure recommendations are put forth, updated, and disseminated without delay,' the AMA told Kennedy.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Judge widens block against federal funding ban on Planned Parenthood
Abortion rights Planned Parenthood Donald Trump FacebookTweetLink A federal judge in Boston has widened her block on the Trump administration's ability to enforce a provision of President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy law that would defund Planned Parenthood's health care services. US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled last week that the administration couldn't enforce the funding ban against some Planned Parenthood organizations. In a new preliminary injunction issued Monday, the judge blocked enforcement of the law nationwide, saying it applied to the dozens of state and local Planned Parenthood member organizations. 'Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable. In particular, restricting Members' ability to provide healthcare services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs,' Talwani, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, wrote in the 58-page ruling. The measure, part of Trump's domestic policy bill that was signed into law July 4, bars Medicaid users from coverage with a health care provider that also provides abortion services. The judge said that the plaintiffs in the case – the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, along with Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah – were likely to succeed on their claim that the law had singled out the health care provider for adverse treatment. 'The legislative history and context confirm that the law's purpose is to single out Planned Parenthood Federation and its Members for punishment,' Talwani wrote, going on to note that comments by individual lawmakers 'support the conclusion that Congress's intent was punitive.' While the legislation did not explicitly mention Planned Parenthood, it prohibits federal funding for providers 'primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care' that also provide abortion services.'
