Bush to Sign $15B Bill to Help Fight AIDS

AP | 05-27-2003 | Article: AP

[Militiaman7]

Bush to Sign $15B Bill to Help Fight AIDS

By DEB RIECHMANN
.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Signing a $15 billion authorization to fight AIDS abroad gives President Bush more leverage to press other wealthy nations to work harder against the killer disease as he prepares for a European summit.

In a ceremony Tuesday at the State Department, Bush was to sign a five-year plan designed to help prevent and treat AIDS, especially in more than a dozen African and Caribbean nations.

If fully implemented, the legislation is supposed to prevent 7 million new infections, care for 10 million HIV-infected people and AIDS orphans and provide anti-retroviral therapy for 2 million.

The president had urged Congress to get the bill to his desk before he traveled to the June 1-3 ``Group of Eight'' summit in Evian, France, where he is expected to use it to solicit other countries to contribute more to the cause.

The G-8 comprises the leaders of the world's seven richest countries - the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada - plus Russia.

Dr. Peter Piot, who directs a joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, praised the legislation, saying resources directed to scientifically proven interventions can dramatically reduce deaths, even where the epidemic is most severe.

``For the first time there is a concerted global effort to close the treatment gap that denies life-saving HIV medicines to 95 percent of the people living with AIDS around the world,'' Piot said.

But he said that even with the new U.S. money, spending is shy of the resources needed to address the problem.

``There is still a long way to go,'' Piot said. ``AIDS will be defeated when responsibility for addressing it is fully shared - with every nation working to meet the financial and leadership challenges presented by this global epidemic.''

Said Jose Zuniga, president of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care: ``Other wealthy nations - specifically G-8 member nations - must follow suit with similar funding increases.''

The new AIDS package, which Congress completed last week, recommends that 55 percent of direct aid go to treatment programs, 20 percent to prevention, 15 percent to palliative care and 10 percent to children orphaned by the disease. It also would allow, but not require, the administration to contribute up to $1 billion in 2004 to the international Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

``This is a whole new day in the fight against this epidemic,'' said Mark Isaac, vice president of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The foundation fights HIV and AIDS and other serious and life-threatening diseases affecting children.

To appease conservatives, the measure says one-third of the money going toward prevention be set aside for projects that promote abstinence - an issue that was prominent in the final congressional debate. The bill says religious groups will not lose funding because they oppose certain preventive methods, such as condom distribution.

Supporters of the legislation said Uganda has been successful in lowering infection rates with its ``ABC'' program of ``Abstinence, Be Faithful and Condom use when appropriate.'' Others say it is a mistake to focus on any one strategy when local customs vary widely.

``We were speaking to the first lady of Uganda the day the bill was being considered in the Senate,'' Isaac said. ``And she was quite firm in saying that people in the countries most affected are the most knowledgeable about what kind of prevention works best locally. We need to give them a full range of options.''

While the legislation nearly triples current U.S. contributions to AIDS programs, Congress still must approve actual spending levels in its annual budget appropriations process. The bill calls for spending $3 billion a year, but the administration is seeking only $1.7 billion in fiscal 2004, $2 billion if related programs for malaria and tuberculosis are included.

``The president moved with great speed, but now Congress has to move with the same speed and dispatch,'' Isaac said.

[Militiaman7]

Is this the money the BUSH Administion couldn't find or didn't have to fund CONCURRENT RECEIPT for all Retired Disabled Vets?

"Promises Made are Pomises Kept", GWB. < /sarcasm>

[KantianBurke]

well that's $15 billion that just got flushed down the toilet. What a damned waste of money

[Mr. K]

yes, this was much needed- AIDS is caused by lack of funding.

[Non-Sequitur]

Legacy building.

[fporretto]

It's worse than that, KB. If we burned the money at a public bonfire, it would do less damage. For my analysis, please see:

Spikes

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

[Satadru]

This is compassionate stupidity in action. The Bush adminstration is spending more than the Clinton administration ever did. I am so glad I did not vote for this idiot.

[Blzbba]

meanwhile, x,000 women just got diagnosed with breast cancer even though they didn't engage in any risky "lifestyle" choices. Thanks for subsidizing this "lifestyle choice", Mr. President.

[mikenola]

Where in the hell is the constitutional warrant for the fedgov to spend *our* money this way?

The African AIDS epidemic is natures way of keeping the population to a level the land can support, ala Malthus.

Doesn't matter how much money we pour into Africa, as long as the population is beyond what the natural resources there can support, nature will keep sending famine and disease.

[ImpotentRage]

This is what is so infuriating. There are diseases out there that are not due to behavior that are well underfunded because of AIDS. Too bad cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc., aren't "politically correct" diseases. My money going to Africa makes me sick.

[don_cdc]

This has nothing to do with the population exceeding the world's natural resources. The AIDS epidemic has everything to do with men not being able to exhibit a little self-control and keep their pants on!

[Blzbba]

"..The AIDS epidemic has everything to do with men not being able to exhibit a little self-control and keep their pants on!"


Sadly, it's hetero women who are being infected by these sick, so-called "bi-sexuals". Sadly, it's all women who are being denied breast cancer funding in lieu of more money thrown away on a lifestlye disease. Sadly, it's being thrown at a completely worthless continent of people still stuck in the Stone Ages.

[Militiaman7]

Support the Vets

[Shermy]

It's a pharmaceutical company ripoff. The drug subsidies mean that we are adopting a generation of Africans...after five years we can't stop subsidizing their drugs, we'd be called murderers.

Corporate welfare masquerading as charity, a brilliant corporate welfare strategy. The one thing that has changed since February or so is at first Bush didn't hide the emphasis on "low cost" drugs to "extend" lifetimes and such. Now verbal, though not money, emphasis is given on "prevention" and such. Just hiding the scam.

E .L. Lilly might have a finger in this pie.

[y2k_free_radical]

Much of what you wrire may be valid;however,we are suppose to hate hate the sin but love the sinner.Notice i said LOVE not LIKE.

[y2k_free_radical]

WRITE-MEA CULPA

[ffusco]

"Sadly, it's being thrown at a completely worthless continent of people still stuck in the Stone Ages."


Sad but true.

[Blzbba]

"Much of what you wrire may be valid;however,we are suppose to hate hate the sin but love the sinner.Notice i said LOVE not LIKE. "


Yeah, but we don't have to subsidize the behavior (sin) with money.

[SwordofTruth]

My money going to Africa makes me sick.

Then make sure you don't vote for Bush in 2004. I am for Tancredo whether he runs or not.

[George W. Bush]

Is this the money the BUSH Administion couldn't find or didn't have to fund CONCURRENT RECEIPT for all Retired Disabled Vets? "Promises Made are Pomises Kept", GWB. </sarcasm>

What? Did I say that?

article: ``There is still a long way to go,'' Piot said. ``AIDS will be defeated when responsibility for addressing it is fully shared - with every nation working to meet the financial and leadership challenges presented by this global epidemic.''

No, AIDS will be defeated when people abstain from the practices that have been known to spread it for decades.

Another round of I-don't-want-to-be-responsible-so-you-need-to-pay.

[molitor]

I am a supporter of the President. However, I would like to say this. I support a camp in which kids with AIDS are campers. There are a lot of children who need to be helped with this disease. I do feel very strongly about this issue. I do not want to make any enemies; however, I feel that there are innocent victims who get this which are kids.