Donald Trump’s budget plans include a massive slash to HIV funding. The GOP billionaire has come under fire from LGBT groups following the release of his 2019 budget plans released on Monday.

The budget includes cuts to domestic HIV/AIDS programs, despite the growing needs, including elimination of Special Programs of National Significance (SPNS). Meanwhile the plan includes a cut of over a billion in funding for global HIV programs.

David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director, said: “Budgets reflect your values. The Trump-Pence budget released today shows a callous disregard for critical programs that impact LGBTQ Americans: “The elimination or slashing of programs related to the Affordable Care Act, HIV/AIDS, and international humanitarian projects are a direct threat to the safety and well-being of LGBTQ people here and around the world. Congress must reject these harmful proposals.”

Asia Russell, Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), said: “If this budget passes as proposed, Donald Trump’s legacy will be millions of new and unnecessary infections and deaths – and a massive resurgence in the AIDS pandemic."

Trump recently decided to dismiss the entirety of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. All members of the council were informed of their dismissal by a letter sent via courier. Six people had already resigned from the Council en masse in June, saying that Trump and his administration “do not care” about the cause. The move came after the quiet closure of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, which was shuttered as part of the Presidential transition and never re-opened as Trump failed to appoint a new director. Read more via Pink News