BIDEN/LUGAR Legislation to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Passes Committee

Press Release

Legislation sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) authorizing $50 billion for global HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis programs for the next five fiscal years was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. This legislation closely mirrors a bipartisan reauthorization bill approved by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs late last month, which will facilitate a prompt conference with the House.

"These programs have saved millions of lives in recent years, but much more needs to be done," said Senator Biden. "Over 2 million people died of HIV/AIDS last year and malaria and TB combined claimed the lives of 2.6 million more. Our legislation will reauthorize and expand these important health programs for the next five fiscal years and reinforce our ability to combat deadly diseases and save lives. I am pleased at the tremendous bipartisan support our bill received today in the Foreign Relations Committee and hope that, when it reaches the Senate floor, the full body of my colleagues will join our effort to address this dire humanitarian situation."

"PEPFAR has focused on prevention programs, with a target of preventing 7 million new HIV infections. As Americans, we should take pride in our nation's efforts to combat these diseases overseas," Sen. Lugar said. "Moreover, we should understand that our investments in disease prevention programs have yielded enormous foreign policy benefits during the last five years. PEPFAR has helped to prevent instability and societal collapse in a number of at-risk countries; it has stimulated contributions from other wealthy nations to fight AIDS; it has facilitated deep partnerships with a new generation of African leaders; and it has improved attitudes toward the United States in Africa and other regions. In my judgment, the dollars spent on this program can be justified purely on the basis of the humanitarian results that we have achieved. But the value of this investment clearly extends to our national security and to our national reputation."

The bill includes provisions that will:

* Remove most earmarks in the original law that delineated percentages of funding devoted to treatment, to care, and to prevention. A congressionally-mandated study by the Institute of Medicine, as well as one by the Government Accountability Office, concluded that the earmarks unduly limited flexibility for those implementing the programs. The legislation retains one earmark with bipartisan support that will allocate 10 percent of funds for orphans and vulnerable children.
* Increase the efficiency and scope of U.S. HIV/AIDS programs by coordinating our efforts with other global health and development initiatives, such as nutrition programs.
* Promote local health capacity - an enormous challenge in Africa in combating this disease - and push the U.S. government to plan for a sustainable long-term effort, to help local governments take over the fight against HIV/AIDS with our technical assistance.
* Emphasize HIV/AIDS prevention. Prevention efforts will continue to include the "ABC" approach: Abstinence, Being faithful, and proper use of Condoms, but without the current earmarks investments in prevention can increase. Additionally, the bill emphasizes the critical importance of addressing the vulnerabilities of girls and women to HIV/AIDS.

Source