Honoring National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Introduces Resolution Honoring National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, has introduced a House resolution recognizing National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, observed annually on February 7. The resolution, H.Res. 1039, underscores the continued disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Americans and calls for renewed national commitment to prevention, testing, treatment, and the elimination of health disparities.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was established to focus attention on the toll HIV/AIDS has taken on African American communities and to promote education, early diagnosis, and access to care. According to the data cited in the resolution, Black Americans represent approximately 12 percent of the U.S. population but account for 39 percent of new HIV diagnoses, 40 percent of people living with HIV, and 43 percent of HIV-related deaths. The rate of new HIV diagnoses among Black Americans is roughly eight times that of white Americans. Black women account for about half of new HIV diagnoses among women, and Black youth ages 13 to 24 similarly account for about half of new diagnoses within their age group.

Waters has been a central figure in congressional HIV/AIDS advocacy for more than four decades. In the late 1990s, she worked with the Clinton administration to establish the Minority AIDS Initiative, a federal program designed to expand prevention and treatment efforts in communities of color. Funding for the initiative has grown from an initial $156 million appropriation in Fiscal Year 1999 to more than $400 million annually today, reflecting its expanded scope and continued relevance.

In recent years, Waters has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening HIV prevention infrastructure nationwide. These efforts include the HIV Prevention Now Act (H.R. 5126), which seeks to bolster federal prevention funding, and the PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act (H.R. 5127), which would require health insurance plans to cover Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) as preventive services without cost-sharing.

In a statement accompanying the resolution, Waters emphasized that National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day serves both as a commemoration and a call to action. She highlighted the need to reduce new infections, eliminate disparities in access to care, and support individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. The resolution urges continued federal, state, and local engagement to ensure equitable prevention and treatment outcomes.

H.Res. 1039 is cosponsored by 29 members of Congress, reflecting broad Democratic caucus support. The resolution is also endorsed by national and local advocacy organizations, including AIDS United, NMAC, the AIDS Foundation Chicago, the AMAAD Institute, LA Pride, NAESM Inc., and PFLAG National. These organizations have long played key roles in education, policy advocacy, and service delivery related to HIV/AIDS.

By introducing this resolution, Waters situates National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day within a broader legislative and public health framework, reinforcing the message that ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic requires sustained political will, targeted resources, and continued attention to the communities most affected.

In response, the Trump administration’s FY 2026 budget proposed cutting over $1.5 billion in HIV-related funding and eliminating various domestic prevention programs. However, in early February 2026, President Trump signed a bipartisan spending package that largely rejected those cuts, maintaining funding for domestic HIV programs while shifting some global health priorities under an “America First” strategy