U.S. Senate Backs $3 Billion For Global Aids

U.S. Senate Backs $3 Billion for Global AIDS Reuters Thursday, July 10, 2003; 3:58 PM By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As President Bush visited AIDS-ravaged Africa, the U.S. Senate on Thursday backed spending $3 billion next year to fight the HIV-AIDS pandemic, well above the $2 billion Bush sought in bills moving through the House of Representatives. Saying Bush was claiming credit for the global AIDS initiative without fully paying for it, Democrats pushed to put the Senate on record in support of $3 billion to launch the five-year, $15 billion program that Congress and Bush have touted. The non-binding measure passed 78-18 with broad bipartisan support. Democrats said they would try to add $1 billion for global HIV/AIDS to spending bills already moving through the House. Bush, in Botswana where one in five people has HIV/AIDS and the virus afflicts 40 percent of the sexually active population, called the disease the continent's "deadliest enemy." He had made the five-year global fight against AIDS a priority in his State of the Union address in January. He then requested $2.04 billion to launch it in the next fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1, which Democrats blasted as short of the $3 billion called for in the plan Congress approved and Bush signed in May. Unless it backs $3 billion for next year, New Mexico Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman said the Senate would "essentially go along with taking credit for a $15 billion commitment while doing substantially less than that." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said it was important while Bush was in Africa "that there be clarification in a bipartisan way that we support the initiative that he has given to the world." The Senate will take up spending bills in coming weeks that allocate the money for the HIV-AIDS program. In the House, the funds are in two bills being considered at different stages. HOUSE CONSIDERS LOWER FUND The House Appropriations foreign aid subcommittee agreed on Thursday to $1.27 billion for the global AIDS war as part of a broader $17.1 billion foreign aid bill, already $86 million more for AIDS than Bush requested. Meanwhile the full House considered a massive bill for labor, health and education with $644 million for global AIDS, and $155 million to fight tuberculosis and other infectious diseases that prey on AIDS-weakened victims. The total of those bills is up from the current $1.56 billion. Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, top Democrat on the foreign aid subcommittee, said while Bush was "in Africa touting how his initiative will address these tragedies" of AIDS and poverty, his "contentions are largely a fraud" because he has not committed enough money. But Rep. Jim Kolbe, an Arizona Republican who chairs the foreign aid subcommittee, said much of the program is just getting started, and "realistically they will not be able to spend more" than the $2 billion next fiscal year. He said he expected the full $15 billion would be spent over five years.

U.S. Senate Backs $3 Billion for Global AIDS Reuters Thursday, July 10, 2003; 3:58 PM By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters)

- As President Bush visited AIDS-ravaged Africa, the U.S. Senate on Thursday backed spending $3 billion next year to fight the HIV-AIDS pandemic, well above the $2 billion Bush sought in bills moving through the House of Representatives.

Saying Bush was claiming credit for the global AIDS initiative without fully paying for it, Democrats pushed to put the Senate on record in support of $3 billion to launch the five-year, $15 billion program that Congress and Bush have touted. The non-binding measure passed 78-18 with broad bipartisan support.

Democrats said they would try to add $1 billion for global HIV/AIDS to spending bills already moving through the House.

Bush, in Botswana where one in five people has HIV/AIDS and the virus afflicts 40 percent of the sexually active population, called the disease the continent's "deadliest enemy."
He had made the five-year global fight against AIDS a priority in his State of the Union address in January.
He then requested $2.04 billion to launch it in the next fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1, which Democrats blasted as short of the $3 billion called for in the plan Congress approved and Bush signed in May.

Unless it backs $3 billion for next year, New Mexico Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman said the Senate would "essentially go along with taking credit for a $15 billion commitment while doing substantially less than that."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said it was important while Bush was in Africa "that there be clarification in a bipartisan way that we support the initiative that he has given to the world."

The Senate will take up spending bills in coming weeks that allocate the money for the HIV-AIDS program.

In the House, the funds are in two bills being considered at different stages.

HOUSE CONSIDERS LOWER FUND The House Appropriations foreign aid subcommittee agreed on Thursday to $1.27 billion for the global AIDS war as part of a broader $17.1 billion foreign aid bill, already $86 million more for AIDS than Bush requested.

Meanwhile the full House considered a massive bill for labor, health and education with $644 million for global AIDS, and $155 million to fight tuberculosis and other infectious diseases that prey on AIDS-weakened victims.

The total of those bills is up from the current $1.56 billion. Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, top Democrat on the foreign aid subcommittee, said while Bush was "in Africa touting how his initiative will address these tragedies" of AIDS and poverty, his "contentions are largely a fraud" because he has not committed enough money.
But Rep. Jim Kolbe, an Arizona Republican who chairs the foreign aid subcommittee, said much of the program is just getting started, and "realistically they will not be able to spend more" than the $2 billion next fiscal year.
He said he expected the full $15 billion would be spent over five years.


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