Outrage as Trump fires 16 members of AIDS advisory council

The Trump administration fired the remaining 16 members of the top White House advisory board on HIV and AIDS-related issues, it was reported on Thursday.

The firings were announced in separate letters mailed to the council members by FedEx earlier this week.

The fired members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS were all appointed to their posts during the Obama administration, according to The Washington Blade.

PACHA ‘provides advice, information, and recommendations to the [Health and Human Services] Secretary regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective treatment, prevention, and cure of HIV disease and AIDS,’ according to its web site.

The Trump administration fired the remaining 16 members of the top White House advisory board on HIV and AIDS-related issues, it was reported on Thursday. President Donald Trump (right) and Vice President Mike Pence are seen in the Oval Office on December 7

In June, six members of PACHA resigned in protest of what they felt was the Trump administration’s inadequate response to treating Americans with HIV and AIDS.

It is not uncommon for administrations to purge government agencies of holdovers from the previous presidency so that it can hire its own personnel.

After Barack Obama entered office, his White House dismissed all of PACHA’s members who were appointed during the terms of President George W. Bush.

Nonetheless, HIV and AIDS activists criticized the Trump administration.

Scott Schoettes, who was one of the six members who resigned in June, is a lawyer for Lambda Legal, a national LGBT civil rights organization dedicated to those with HIV and AIDS.

He tweeted on Thursday that Trump showed ‘no respect for their service’ by firing the council members.

‘Dangerous that #Trump and Co. (Pence esp.) are eliminating few remaining people willing to push back against harmful policies, like abstinence-only sex ed,’ he tweeted.

Gabriel Maldonado, who heads a California-based organization Truevolultion, is one of the 16 dismissed council members.

It is not uncommon for administrations to purge government agencies of holdovers from the previous presidency so that it can hire its own personnel. After Barack Obama entered office, his White House dismissed all PACHA’s members appointed during George W. Bush's term

It is not uncommon for administrations to purge government agencies of holdovers from the previous presidency so that it can hire its own personnel. After Barack Obama entered office, his White House dismissed all PACHA’s members appointed during George W. Bush’s term

He said that the council members still had time left to serve their terms. He said ‘the explanation is still unclear’ over why the administration chose this week to let them go.

‘I can only speculate,’ Maldonado said.

‘Like any administration, they want their own people there. Many of us were Obama appointees. I was an Obama appointee and my term was continuing until 2018.’

He said one potential reason for the firings is ‘ideological and philosophical differences’ with the administration.

‘I was co-chair of the disparities committee, so much of my advocacy and policy references surrounded vulnerable populations, addressing issuing of diverse communities, specifically looking at the impacts of the LGBT community, namely, the disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS to people of color, gay men, transgender women,’ Maldonado said.

‘And a lot of those key vulnerable populations are not being prioritized in this administration.’

Maldonado cited a recent Washington Post report which said that the Trump administration ordered the Centers for Disease Control to avoid using certain words or phrases in official documents being drafted for next year’s budget.

The CDC was reportedly given a list of seven prohibited words or phrases, including ‘vulnerable,’ ‘entitlement,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘transgender,’ ‘fetus,’ ‘evidence-based,’ and ‘science-based.’

PACHA’s executive director, Kaye Hayes, confirmed that the council members were fired, but she doesn’t think the news warranted an uproar

PACHA’s executive director, Kaye Hayes, confirmed that the council members were fired, but she doesn’t think the news warranted an uproar

A spokesperson for the HHS, however, has denied this and said it was taken out of context.

PACHA’s executive director, Kaye Hayes, confirmed that the council members were fired, but she doesn’t think the news warranted an uproar.

‘[The dismissed council members] were also thanked for their leadership, dedication and commitment to the effort,’ Hayes said.

‘Changing the makeup of federal advisory committee members is a common occurrence during Administration changes.

‘The Obama administration dismissed the George W. Bush administration appointees to PACHA in order to bring in new voices.

‘All PACHA members are eligible to apply to serve on the new council that will be convened in 2018.’

But Maldonado said it doesn’t explain why the administration waited a year to fire the Obama-era holdovers.

He also noted that many of the dismissed council members whose terms expired earlier this year were sworn back in to their positions months ago – even after Trump signed an executive order which kept PACHA going for another year.

An estimated 1.2 million Americans are infected with either HIV or AIDS. Globally, there are 37 million people estimated to be carrying the disease. 



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