HIV/AIDS Community Action Alert!
Call Congress

Background—Federal Deficit Reduction:
• Congress passed the Budget Control Act (BCA) in August, creating a 12-member bipartisan “super committee” tasked with developing a proposal to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 to $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. The 12 members of the super committee are:

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), co-chair
Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
Senator John Kyl (R-AZ)
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)
Representative Jeb Hensarling (R, TX-5th), co-chair
Representative Dave Camp (R, MI-4th)
Representative Fred Upton (R, MI-6th)
Representative James Clyburn (D, SC-6th)
Representative Xavier Becerra (D, CA-31st)
Representative Chris Van Hollen (D, MD-8th)

• This super committee has authority to recommend policy changes to reduce spending, which could mean major cuts to programs that are important to people living with HIV and AIDS—including Medicaid and Medicare—as well as the Ryan White Program and other programs that support AIDS research, HIV prevention and testing, and care and support services (approaches our community opposes). The super committee can also recommend that the federal government raise revenue as a way to help reduce the deficit (an approach our community supports).

• It is important that your members of Congress hear from YOU about the HIV community’s priorities.

• The super committee must make a proposal to Congress by November 23rd. If it doesn’t, there will be automatic cuts to programs in all federal agencies, which could seriously harm programs and services for people with HIV and AIDS. (Or, if the committee’s proposal doesn’t cut at least $1.2 trillion, automatic cuts will make up the difference.) If automatic cuts are triggered, certain “entitlement” programs for poor and low income individuals and families, such as Medicaid, will not be affected.

Action Needed:
Call or email your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators (find their contact info here). Ask them to support the HIV community’s priorities when they talk to the super committee about ways to reduce the federal deficit. If one of your Senators or your Representative is a member of the super committee, your call is especially important!

Message:
“I am a constituent, and I am calling to ask the Senator/Representative to support the HIV community’s priorities throughout the deficit reduction process. These are our top four priorities:
1. Deficit reduction must be fair and balanced, and must include raising revenues.
2. Any approach to deficit reduction must protect vulnerable populations and maintain the federal commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS by funding prevention, care and treatment, research, housing and support services.
3. It is essential to preserve the federal commitment to the Medicaid and Medicare programs.
4. We oppose deficit reduction strategies that would jeopardize health care reforms already underway.
As someone whose life has been affected by HIV, these priorities are extremely important to me. Thank you!”