Rep. Waxman asks the President to direct federal agencies not to condition the receipt of global AIDS or anti-trafficking funds by U.S.-based organizations on the signing of a pledge condemning prostitution.

Federal agencies recently began requiring U.S.-based groups receiving funds under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act to explicitly commit to opposing prostitution. Public health and social service groups have expressed concern that the move will create a stigma that will impede work with populations at risk from prostitution. In a letter to the President, Rep. Waxman cites the far-reaching implications of a precedent of imposing potentially unconstitutional speech restrictions and policy requirements on U.S. organizations. Rep. Waxman urges the President to instruct his Administration not to enforce this policy. In a letter to Attorney General Gonzales, Rep. Waxman asks for an explanation of the Justice Department’s new support for the policy.