HIV/AIDS Activists Arrested Following A ‘Die In’ on Capitol Hill

Activists in America have been arrested following protests in Washington DC over recent cuts to funding for global HIV/AIDS programs.

The arrests took place overnight as the activists took over the rotunda in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

This marks another protest in the wake of decisions made by the Trump administration following the election of Donald Trump in January.

Twenty one HIV/AIDS activists arrested

Following the protests twenty one HIV/AIDS activists were arrested on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Wednesday while protesting cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The demonstration, organised by ACT UP NY, Health GAP, Housing Works, and the Treatment Action Group, saw over 30 activists gather in the Cannon House Office Building to demand the restoration of critical funding for global HIV/AIDS programs.

The protest began with activists chanting and blowing whistles while holding signs that read, “Save US AID, Save Lives” and “US Congress Kills People With AIDS Worldwide” and “Stop The Deadly Global Aid Freeze.”

A group of 21 demonstrators then staged a ‘die in’ on the building’s marble floor, refusing to leave despite warnings from law enforcement as they lay on the ground.

“This demonstration marked the one-month anniversary of President Trump’s controversial stop-work order that froze humanitarian assistance, an action activists described as both deadly and illegal,” Housing Works said in a statement.

Capitol Police intervened when the protesters did not comply with orders to disperse.

“It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional buildings, so just after 11:30 a.m., approximately 21 people were arrested in the Cannon Rotunda for 22-1307 Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

Creative protesters on Capitol Hill stage a “die-in,” demanding an end to Trump’s global aid freeze. pic.twitter.com/MZzayvwn4J

— Stephen Mutoro (@smutoro) February 26, 2025

The protest comes amid ongoing concerns about the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on global health initiatives as well as continued concerns about the policies against the transgender and LGBTQIA+ communities.

USAID, which has been instrumental in implementing Washington’s foreign aid agenda, has faced drastic cuts, leaving its future uncertain.

Over the weekend, the agency placed the majority of its global and domestic staff on paid leave, with its Washington, D.C., headquarters set to be repurposed for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Activists warn that these measures will have dire consequences. “What we are demanding of Congress is that they stop behaving like doormats in the face of this attack on humanitarian assistance that truly is highly effective and life-saving,” said Asia Russell, Executive Director of Health GAP.

“It’s very hard to overstate what’s at stake regarding humanitarian assistance.”

The United States has played a crucial role in the fight against HIV/AIDS through PEPFAR, a program established under former President George W. Bush that provides medication to 20 million people worldwide.

However, USAID’s abrupt closure has halted payments to providers supporting PEPFAR, jeopardising efforts to combat HIV/AIDS globally.

Peter Kerndt, a physician who coordinated USAID’s fight against tuberculosis in Africa and Asia, stressed the long-term consequences of these cuts. “It will be impossible to achieve a global goal of eliminating the virus by 2030 if the agency goes away,” he said.

Kelsey Crow, a contractor at USAID’s Bureau of Global Health who lost her job due to the cuts, called on lawmakers to take action. “So much of our work at USAID is mandated by Congress, and so for Congress to not be taking action… it’s incredibly disappointing,” she said.

Van Credle, a former USAID contractor, criticised the administration’s approach. “This is not controversial, and what is happening is not government efficiency, it’s government fraud, waste and abuse when it comes to what Doge is doing,” she said, referring to Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency,” which has played a key role in dismantling the agency.

Activists fear that without urgent intervention, the fight against HIV/AIDS will suffer a severe and lasting setback.

Breaking: demonstrators on Capitol Hill demand PEPFAR restoration now!

SAVE USAID

SAVE LIVES pic.twitter.com/yW2Ki9iqbO

— Dear White Staffers (@DWS________) February 26, 2025