Overview
- An internal State Department email directs employees and grantees not to use federal funds or public-facing channels to mark World AIDS Day, and it bars speaking at events or promoting attendance online while allowing quiet attendance.
- For the first time since 1988, the federal government will not publicly observe the December 1 commemoration, a break from past practice that included a White House AIDS Memorial Quilt display in 2024.
- State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said “an awareness day is not a strategy,” even as the administration has issued proclamations for other observances this year.
- The shift comes alongside freezes and proposed cuts to global HIV efforts, including a proposed $1.9 billion reduction to PEPFAR in FY2026, as UNAIDS reports service disruptions tied to funding rollbacks.
- Advocates and lawmakers, including Rep. Mark Pocan, condemned the move as harmful, and it remains unclear whether the State Department will deliver its customary PEPFAR data to Congress on World AIDS Day.