By: Dr. Avi Verma | IndoUS Tribune 

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
(D-IL), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial
Services, is intensifying his push for accountability from Health and Human
Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following the Trump
Administration’s controversial decisions to dismantle key HIV/AIDS programs and alter longstanding public health policies.

In a joint letter with Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA), Krishnamoorthi slammed the administration’s sweeping elimination of HIV and AIDS-related research, prevention, and vaccine initiatives. The lawmakers expressed deep concern over the administration’s politically motivated move to defund and dissolve programs that have been central to the global HIV/AIDS response for decades.

“The Trump Administration’s reckless decision to gut HIV prevention and research programs is not only scientifically indefensible—it’s morally unconscionable,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi.
“These cuts jeopardize the health of millions and reverse decades of bipartisan
progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

The letter references multiple cuts, including:

• The elimination of the CDC’s
  HIV prevention division
• A $285 million reduction in HIV
  vaccine development
• The termination of the President’s
  Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), credited with saving more
  than 26 million lives globally

An internal budget analysis suggests these actions could result in 143,000 new HIV infections and 127,000 additional deaths in the next five years. The lawmakers also raised alarm over Secretary Kennedy’s history of spreading HIV misinformation, including discredited claims about the virus and its causes.

As part of their formal request, Reps. Krishnamoorthi and Garcia have demanded that all internal communications and decision-making records related to these cuts be submitted to Congress by July 31, 2025.

Concerns Expand to CDC Vaccine Panel Overhaul

In a related move, Krishnamoorthi also condemned Secretary Kennedy’s recent decision to remove all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The committee—previously a science-driven, bipartisan panel—has now been replaced
with individuals who include known vaccine skeptics.

“The decision to elevate anti-vaccine activists who push misinformation dramatically undermines America’s public health,” Krishnamoorthi said. “If attacks on independent
public health institutions continue, kids will miss more school, be less healthy, and tragically, may die from preventable diseases.”

Krishnamoorthi’s letter to CDC Chief of Staff Matthew Buzzelli criticizes the new ACIP panel’s refusal to endorse certain flu vaccines and their intent to revisit the childhood
immunization schedule, warning this could worsen the nation’s current measles
outbreak, the worst in two decades.

Fighting Back Against the OBBBA: Social Safety Net Under Threat

Krishnamoorthi has also been vocal about the broader consequences of the Trump Administration’s domestic agenda, particularly the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—a sweeping rollback of social safety net programs.

Speaking at a roundtable hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Chicago, Krishnamoorthi criticized the OBBBA as “one of the largest cuts to social programs in
American history.”

The OBBBA includes provisions to:

• Strip 17 million Americans
  of health care coverage
• Cut funding for the Supplemental
  Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Defund Planned Parenthood
  and limit reproductive health care
• Slash Pell Grants,
  making higher education less affordable
• Deliver major tax breaks to
  the ultra-wealthy, while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt
  over the next decade

“This fight is deeply personal,”
said Krishnamoorthi. “My family once depended on food stamps and public
housing. Without those programs, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I will keep
speaking out and fighting back to protect the American Dream for millions of
others.”

Taking on Big Pharma to Lower Drug Costs

In a bipartisan push to rein in Pharmacy
Benefit Managers (PBMs), Krishnamoorthi recently introduced two bills aimed
at restoring fairness to the prescription drug market:

• The PBM Reform Act, co-sponsored with Rep. Buddy
  Carter (R-GA), would address monopolistic practices by the three
  dominant PBMs—Caremark Rx, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx—that fill over
  80% of prescriptions.
• The Fair Pharmacies for Federal
  Employees Act,
  introduced with Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), would prohibit
  federal health plans from contracting with entities that both operate PBMs
  and own pharmacies—an arrangement that drives anti-competitive
  self-dealing and inflated drug costs.

“Over 2,000 local pharmacies in Illinois closed last year,” said Krishnamoorthi. “Our legislation takes a bold step toward restoring competition and lowering drug costs for everyone—especially for those living with HIV and cancer.”

Community Outreach: July 18th Passport Fair in Elk Grove

Krishnamoorthi’s office is also continuing its community services. On Friday, July 18, in partnership with Elk Grove Township, the Congressman will host a Passport Fair to help constituents apply for or renew passports. The event runs from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Elk Grove Township Meeting Hall, 600 Landmeier Road, Elk Grove Village. Walk-ins are welcome, and passport photos will be available onsite for $10.

A Legacy at Risk

HIV and AIDS-related programs, along with science-based immunization policies, have enjoyed bipartisan support for decades. Initiatives like PEPFAR have been held up as gold standards of
global health diplomacy. Advocates warn that the dismantling of these efforts—combined with broader attacks on social safety nets—could reverse decades of progress.

“We’re demanding answers because theAmerican people, and the global community, deserve better than politically motivated neglect of public health,” Krishnamoorthi emphasized.

As the July 31 deadline for document disclosure nears, Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee are signaling they may pursue formal hearings if the Trump
Administration fails to respond.

For continued coverage of public health,
legislative reform, and political accountability, stay with the IndoUS Tribune.