The Trump administration is planning to slash $600 million in public health grants for Illinois and three other states, according to a list of grants obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. At least $29 million in Illinois grants are on the chopping block, with the cuts specifically targeting family planning and HIV prevention programs. The cuts represent a first wave anticipated to total around $600 million across California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota.
The cuts include $5.2 million in funds for an HIV prevention program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, $7.2 million in grant cuts to the American Medical Association in Illinois for gender-affirming care, and numerous cuts to other programs. Specific grants being eliminated include $441,625 to the Puerto Rican Cultural Center for its comprehensive HIV prevention program; $600,000 for the Illinois Department of Public Health’s HIV prevention and surveillance program; $600,000 for the Chicago Department of Public Health’s support and scale-up of HIV prevention in sexual health clinics; and $360,000 for its Sexually Transmitted Infection Surveillance Network. Other cuts target the South Side Help Center’s “comprehensive High-Impact HIV Prevention Project” ($441,625) and Alliance Care 360’s HIV prevention program ($441,625).
An HHS spokesperson stated that “These grants are being terminated because they do not reflect agency priorities.” Governor JB Pritzker’s office called the cuts an attempt “to politicize and punish certain states President Trump does not like” and pledged to fight for the resources. U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi criticized the cuts, warning they will “weaken hospitals, undermine disease tracking, and put lives at risk.”
According to Howard Brown Health, Chicago has seen an increase in new HIV diagnoses in recent years. Travis Gayles, chief executive officer of Howard Brown, stated: “Over the past two years, the Chicago area has seen an increase in new HIV diagnoses, with a troubling number of individuals presenting with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. This follows significant progress made during earlier Ending the Epidemic efforts under previous federal administrations, when expanded prevention, testing, and care initiatives led to measurable declines in new infections.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump/2026/02/10/trump-administration-cuts-illinois-hiv-prevention-grants