Washington, D.C. – September 6, 2025: Maxine Waters Introduces Two-Bill HIV Prevention Package in the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS
As thousands gathered in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS this week, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a pair of bills aimed at strengthening prevention efforts and expanding access to life-saving HIV prevention medications.
The legislative package, announced on September 4, includes the HIV Prevention Now Act (H.R. 5126) and the PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act (H.R. 5127). Together, the measures seek to restore and expand federal HIV prevention funding, while also requiring insurance providers to cover preventive medications without out-of-pocket costs.
Ms. Waters, who has been a leading voice in HIV/AIDS policy since the 1980s, said the bills are designed to protect progress made in reducing new HIV infections while addressing persistent barriers in vulnerable communities.
“I am deeply concerned by the continuing spread of HIV in communities across the United States,” Waters said. “These bills will ensure that we can prevent new HIV infections, save lives, and stop the spread of HIV.”
The HIV Prevention Now Act
H.R. 5126 would appropriate $2.165 billion in Fiscal Year 2026 for the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. The measure also reverses a proposed funding cut in President Donald Trump’s FY2026 budget, which had eliminated certain HIV prevention allocations.
“Urging people to fight like hell to protect funding and public health structures,” Ms. Waters warned that reductions in prevention funding could lead to “thousands of new HIV infections” nationwide. Public health advocates echoed that concern, noting that state health departments and community-based organizations rely heavily on CDC grants to implement outreach, testing, and education programs.
Carl Schmid, Executive Director of the HIV Hepatitis Policy Institute, praised the measure’s scope. “Ensuring sufficient and stable funding for the CDC so that health departments, community-based organizations, and other grantees can implement HIV and hepatitis prevention programs nationwide is vitally important,” Schmid said. He criticized the administration for dismissing the entire staff of HHS offices that support HIV programs.
The PrEP and PEP Are Prevention Act
The companion bill, H.R. 5127, focuses on access to medication. It requires health insurance plans to cover Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) without co-pays or cost-sharing.
PrEP, when taken as prescribed, reduces the risk of HIV infection from sex by approximately 99 percent and from injection drug use by at least 74 percent. PEP, taken within 72 hours of potential exposure, can prevent infection after events such as unprotected sex, sexual assault, or accidental needle sticks.
Ms. Waters called the drugs “extremely effective” and “essential tools” in the fight against HIV. Her proposal has drawn endorsements from a wide coalition of advocacy organizations, including NMAC, AIDS United, The AIDS Institute, the National Coalition of STD Directors, PrEP4All, and NASTAD.
Paul Kawata, Executive Director of NMAC, said access to prevention medication is a matter of urgency. “PrEP is not optional—it is an essential component of our nation’s mission to end the HIV epidemic,” Kawata said.
Support Across the Advocacy Spectrum by Leaders from multiple HIV/AIDS organizations issued statements, applauding Waters’ move, highlighting the timing of the bills during a period of heightened debate over access to preventive health care.
Carl Baloney, Jr., President & CEO of AIDS United, noted that the nation is “on the cusp of ending the HIV epidemic” and argued that achieving that goal requires eliminating barriers to prevention drugs.
Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director of PrEP4All, added that the measure would “safeguard coverage protections for rigorously evaluated, evidence-based HIV prevention,” while ensuring continued access for those most at risk.
Social Media Reaction on the various social platforms have sparked discussion concerning the bills in a wave of thumbs up from activists, health professionals, and community members.
On X (formerly Twitter), several HIV advocates used the hashtag #PreventionIsCare to praise the legislation. “Access saves lives. Thank you @RepMaxineWaters for ensuring PrEP and PEP coverage stays in place,” wrote one New York-based advocate.
Community health organizations posted educational infographics outlining the difference between PrEP and PEP, emphasizing their effectiveness when widely accessible. Instagram posts from advocacy groups in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami framed the bills as especially critical for Black and Latino communities, which remain disproportionately impacted by HIV.
Some health equity activists also pointed to the broader implications for public health. “Protecting PrEP access isn’t just about HIV,” one user wrote on Threads. “It’s about reducing stigma, increasing testing, and making sexual health care affordable and accessible.”
With her Long History of Advocacy, Congresswoman Waters’ latest effort builds on decades of leadership on HIV/AIDS policy. In 1989, she collaborated with the Clinton administration to establish the Minority AIDS Initiative, which has since grown from $156 million in annual funding in 1999 to more than $400 million today. The initiative remains a cornerstone of federal HIV prevention and treatment programs in communities of color.
Both new bills also come at a time when, despite medical advances, more than 30,000 new HIV infections occur annually in the United States, according to CDC estimates. Advocates argue that equitable access to prevention tools is essential to driving that number down.
The HIV Prevention Now Act (H.R. 5126) and the PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act (H.R. 5127) have been cosponsored by more than two dozen House Democrats, including Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).
As the conference continues through September 7, Ms. Waters and her allies are expected to push for broad legislative support, framing the bills as both a public health necessity and a moral imperative.
In related developments, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced dramatic testimony before the
Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Kennedy as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The hearing focused on his record and policies, particularly concerning vaccines, the CDC, and the recent firing of top officials.
Kennedy Jr. has a controversial history regarding his views on HIV/AIDS. He has been criticized for promoting the debunked belief that HIV is not the sole cause of AIDS, instead attributing the condition to other factors like drug use. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, he has stated that he supports funding for HIV programs like PEPFAR, yet has also been criticized for actions that have led to cuts and a restructuring of offices responsible for HIV prevention.