June 20, 2017 | Health Matters

Six experts resign from Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) has been advising the White House on health policy matters since 1995. But last week six members of the council were so discouraged with the messages they were getting from the Trump administration that they resigned.

Scott A. Schoettes, speaking for the group, told the Washington Post, that there had been no dialogue with the Trump White House since his inaugeration and that the last straw was when the Republican-dominated House passed the American Health Care Act, which, if implemented will have “devastating” effects on those living with HIV.

In a guest editorial for Newsweek, Schottes wrote:

The Trump Administration has no strategy to address the on-going HIV/AIDS epidemic, seeks zero input from experts to formulate HIV policy, and -- most concerning -- pushes legislation that will harm people living with HIV and halt or reverse important gains made in the fight against this disease.

Shoettes also pointed out that the President has still not appointed anyone to head the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

Though there can be up to 25 members on the PASHA council, there were only 21 before the new resignations, which means that 15 members remain.

We can only hope that the Senate rejects the American Health Care Act, which is nothing more than an enormous tax break for the wealthy made on the backs of the most vulnerable Americans.