Trump's FY2027 Budget: Continued Rollback of LGBTQ+ Protections

“Presidential budgets are a reflection of the nation’s values; and this budget shows how little this Administration values the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans despite their tremendous contribution to the American economy and society," said HRC President Kelley Robinson. "From executive orders targeting trans people on day one to dismantling civil rights enforcement across the federal government, this Administration has been methodical about stripping away protections for people who need them most. This budget is the next chapter. When you eliminate housing for people living with HIV, gut behavioral health grants, and defund fair housing protections, you leave entire communities without a safety net. Programs that support health, safety, and opportunity for all Americans aren’t 'woke,' they are essential to the promise of America.”

HIV Programs & Housing

Context: One year into the Trump Administration, LGBTQ+ Americans are facing a health crisis with life-or-death consequences. The Administration has already cut $800 million in LGBTQ+ health research, eliminated more than 200 federal HIV research grants, suspended domestic and global HIV services, and shut down the suicide prevention lifeline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth. New HIV cases are rising for the first time in years as access to PrEP and treatment collapses — a policy choice, not a policy failure. According to HRC Foundation data, trans Americans have been hit hardest: two-thirds report difficulty accessing care, hospitals have slowed or stopped gender-affirming treatment, and trans people are being turned away from emergency rooms. Meanwhile, discrimination in healthcare doubles the odds of poor health outcomes for LGBTQ+ adults. Nearly a third say their health has worsened over the last year. This FY2027 budget would deepen every one of these crises.

• This budget would result in ~$1.91B in cuts to HIV specific services
• HOPWA — the primary federal housing program for people living with HIV — is proposed for elimination.
• NIH faces a $5 billion cut targeting HIV stigma research, sexual health research, and studies involving transgender populations.
• HHS behavioral health grants serving trans women of color and communities at the intersection of HIV and substance use are on the chopping block.

Transgender & LGBTQ+ Health Services

• Trans-sensitive behavioral health services and prevention navigation for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals targeted for elimination.
• Research involving transgender women and gender-minority people of color specifically called out for cuts.
• Adds a provision to the president’s budget that no funding from this or any other law can be used to pay for medical or mental health care, medications, or surgeries related to gender transition.
• Result: This would ban gender-affirming care through federal funding and result in fewer culturally competent services, as well as a weakened research infrastructure for tracking LGBTQ+ health disparities.

Fair Housing for LGBTQ+ Community

• PRO Housing eliminated as a DEI-related program.
• Fair Housing Initiatives Program cut, with the budget explicitly targeting prior work serving LGBTQ+ populations.
• Housing Counseling eliminated entirely, leaving LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV with fewer resources to navigate the system.

Education & Campus Supports

• DEI and anti-racism teacher training eliminated.
• Gender-identity-related technical assistance cut.
• LGBT youth summit for migrant students defunded.
• Campus LGBTQIA+ Pride Center staffing eliminated.

Civil Rights Infrastructure & DEI

Context: The Administration has dismantled DEI programs across the federal government, directed the Attorney General to target DEI efforts in the private sector, and allowed the EEOC to drop discrimination cases involving transgender employees — stripping away workplace protections that millions depend on. According to data from the HRC Foundation, workers in organizations where DEI-related practices are ended or scaled back are 3.6 times more likely to report stigma or bias at work. 57.4% of LGBTQ+ workers with employers that ended or scaled back DEI reported experiencing stigma and bias at work. 

• DEI treated as a category to dismantle across USDA, Commerce, Labor, and HUD.
• Any program centered on LGBTQ+ disparities or gender identity is at heightened risk, even if not explicitly LGBTQ+-focused. 
• Cuts land in an environment where federal civil rights enforcement is already being narrowed, including programs that support LGBTQ+-owned businesses, which contribute more than $1.7 Trillion to the American economy annually.

State Department & Foreign Aid

• The budget codifies an expanded Global Gag Rule that is no longer limited to reproductive health, and now restricts any organization receiving U.S. foreign assistance from speaking about "gender ideology" abroad. 
  • In practice, this silences organizations providing care, support, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities globally. 
• DEI-related programming and inclusive community-centered care are effectively conditioned on silence.
• A fundamental shift in how the U.S. shows up in the world, from recognizing the importance of inclusive care to weaponizing funding as a tool of censorship.