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US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address alongside Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on February 5th. 2019. (Xinhua / AFP)
by Peter Mertz
DENVER, USA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) – Reactions range from hope to disbelief after US President Donald Trump's pledge to eliminate AIDS in America by 2030 .
Trump 's bold statement in his second State of the Union address on Tuesday first sparked words of hope from beleaguered front – line groups in the United States. America struggling against the deadly disease. But once the dust settled, the experts began to force the president's hand.
Diverting big problems
"All of Trump's statement is a diversion from his big problems," said David B. Richardson, a Washington-based policy badyst.
"A total distraction," Richardson told Xinhua, pointing out that the president 's tax returns, his involvement in Russia' s interference in the 2016 presidential election and the House of Representatives under Democratic control had made Trump "desperate for diversion".
The "scientific breakthroughs" have achieved the goal, said Trump, whose announcement was an old story for health organizations, including the United Nations, which called for a few years ago. years to take action to end the HIV epidemic.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, said in March 2017 that it was possible to end AIDS in less than seven years.
Trump also is badociated with a 2010 HIV strategy outlined by President Barack Obama at the time, which was aimed at reducing the infection rate and improving access. medical care.
"He is just throwing ideas into the wind, so the media gulps them down in the hope of distracting them from his possible indictment," said Richardson, a policy badyst at Capitol Hill in the 1980s. .
The first case of AIDS reported in the United States dates back to 1981. Since then, more than 700,000 people with AIDS have died in the United States, according to the CDC. Today, more than 1.1 million people are living with HIV and nearly 40,000 new diagnoses every year.
AIDS does not cure, but daily doses of antiretroviral drugs have allowed victims to lead a relatively long and healthy life. However, only half of people living with HIV are virally suppressed.
BUDGET BURDEN
Tuesday night, with his constant joke about immigration and the dubious achievements of his two years in power, Trump sparked the surprise of his 82-minute speech.
"My budget will require Democrats and Republicans to make the commitment necessary to eradicate the HIV epidemic in the United States by 10 years," said the president.
"Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond," he added.
Insiders told Xinhua that the last words "and beyond" were not part of Trump's written speech, but were changed by the president at the last minute.
Health Secretary Alex Azar II said Trump would look for "substantial new funds for the effort," another comment that has stunned Democrats and Republicans.
According to projections by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the White House, the federal budget deficit will reach 1 trillion US dollars in 2019, about $ 101 billion more than previously expected.
Trump, who fought for a balanced budget and a cut in federal spending, apparently added another big deficit spending on Tuesday. The financial details of the new AIDS initiative are expected next month.
However, Trump's 2019 fiscal year budget, submitted in February 2018, includes a $ 40 million reduction in CDC HIV prevention programs and $ 26 million in federal housing programs for people living with HIV. with AIDS, as well as a reduction in the global HIV programs of $ 1 billion. according to the Congressional Budget Office.
On Wednesday, the nonprofit AIDS United issued an open letter responding to Trump's speech, which was signed by 22 leading AIDS advocates, including groups in San Francisco, Chicago, and Texas.
"We know what will be needed to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030," the letter writes.
"The real proof will be in the president's budget request for fiscal year 2020 next month," he concluded.
INCONGRUITY BETWEEN WORDS, ACTS
Although Michael Ruppal of the AIDS Institute said that the plan "can go down in history as one of the most important achievements of his presidency", other experts hastened to note the incongruity of the words and acts of the president.
"The barriers to the fight against AIDS have long been the lack of investment in awareness and access," said James Hamblin, author of "If Our Bodies Could Speak."
"Trump has contributed to these obstacles with racist, badist, anti-transgender and anti-science rhetoric, so far his words have worked almost every turn to fuel the spread of HIV," Hamblin said.
"His words are unsupported by his actions," said John Ott, a California businessman and expert in Africa, pointing out that Trump had stopped US badistance to the World Health Organization. (WHO) in Africa, which is struggling to limit the spread of the disease on the continent.
According to a report released last week by Global Health Policy, there are 25 million AIDS victims in 10 countries in southern Africa – the largest concentration of victims on the planet.
"If Trump were really interested in helping the AIDS victims, he would join universal health insurance to treat AIDS patients, a policy he actively uses," Richardson said.
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