By Nico Lang

The $2 trillion stimulus package approved by the Senate on Wednesday includes $155 million in funding for people living with HIV who may be affected by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The full text of the plan, which was approved 96-0, earmarks $90 million for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and $65 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). The former, which was created by federal legislation in 1990, helps fund medication and treatment for low-income people living with HIV, while HOPWA provides assistance with the housing needs of this vulnerable population.

Rachel Klein, the deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute, said that advocates for people living with HIV are “thrilled” to see these critical programs included in the legislation, which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., touted as “the largest rescue package in American history.”

“This whole bill is designed to make sure that as we're starting to see the economic impact of this epidemic, that people have additional support in order to help them deal with it,” Klein told NBC News. “We need to make sure that people living with HIV are able to continue getting the care that they need and those programs are going to need to adapt to this new environment.” Read more via NBC