> #2 and #3 seems like obvious places to direct public funds via government, being investments in public goods. In the USA, this can be done either through exec

> #2 and #3 seems like obvious places to direct public funds via government, being investments in public goods. In the USA, this can be done either through executive agencies, or by Congress. Is Congress unaware of the issue, or is there some political jockeying that prevents it? It seems like maybe it's worth redirecting funds from other basic research (medical or otherwise) into this area for at least a few years. This problem disproportionately affects gay men and sex workers (of any gender/orientation), and the government's track record with public health issues that affect gay men is... pretty bad. The HIV epidemic began in 1981, and the first FDA-approved condom for anal sex didn't appear until 2022. Heck, there wasn't even an FDA-approved gonorrhea test for gay men until 2019. Or if you want something more recent, look at how badly the US government botched the Mpox epidemic. The US literally had Jynneos vaccines ready to go, and at multiple points either failed to arrange for the logistics of using them or (in more egregious displays) simply refused to administer them altogether. The US government's mishandling of Mpox response has been so egregious that unless you were following it closely, you'd think sounds like satire or a conspiracy theory. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/opinion/monkeypox-covid-and-hiv.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/opinion/monkeypox-covid-a... https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/nyregion/nyc-monkeypox-vaccine-doses-denmark.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/nyregion/nyc-monkeypox-va... https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/nyregion/monkeypox-vaccine-jynneos-us.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/nyregion/monkeypox-vaccin...