Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The federal government will not participate in this year's World AIDS Day, a decades-old event to mourn people who've died from the disease and raise awareness.
The State Department has directed employees and grant recipients not to use federal funding to commemorate the day, The New York Times reported Wednesday. While employees can still highlight their work on AIDS and other diseases, they should "refrain from publicly promoting World AIDS Day" in public-facing messaging, the Times reported.
"An awareness day is not a strategy," Tommy Pigott, a spokesman for the department, told the paper. "Under the leadership of President Trump, the State Department is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and increase their responsibility and burden sharing."
However, the Trump White House has issued other proclamations for commemorative days intended to raise awareness about autism, organ donation, cancer and others.
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