Will the Dem’s underfund the AIDS initiative?
Rather than pursue new appropriations, word has it that the Dem’s may keep AIDS funding at last year’s level through a continuing resolution that freezes international spending. The significance: President’s Bush planned for increase in AIDS/malaria spending of $1 billion may remain unfunded. Given that the Democrats have consistently added more money for the Global Fund than the President requested in previous years, it would be a shame that their first acts in the majority are to screw over AIDS sufferers in developing countries. Of course, this arbitrary measure avoids the trouble of having to negotiate the politically tricky issue of dealing with this Administration’s fiscal deficit, but it does mean that the Democrats are standing in the way of the goal of universal access to ARV therapy for AIDS sufferers. Nice one!
Bono has been on the Hill reminding the Dems that this is not a heartwarming way to introduce themselves to the public:
I don’t know who’s to blame. Democrats are blaming Republicans, Republicans are blaming Democrats. But the million people who were expecting bed nets don’t care who’s to blame. They just know that a promise made by the United States to keep their families safe is in danger of being broken next year.
Filed under: Politics and Policy
[…] It appears that the Democrats haven’t resolved the problem we first identified back in December. We warned then that the Democrats didn’t want a new appropriations bill and instead are using a continuing resolution to fund appropriations for programs like AIDS. The problem is that the Bush Administration had asked for an increase in funds for global AIDS by about $1bn. So, a continuing resolution keeps funding at least year’s levels. What does this mean? […]