This is what I got from StopGlobalAids the other day concerning this: (it IS kinda long so...)
In response to requests from President Bush, Senator Frist (R-TN)
seems ready to dramatically scale back a key piece of legislation.
The bill that would authorize increased US spending on effective global AIDS, TB and malaria programs and mandate deeper debt relief.
The President is putting the screws on the Senate so that the bill
will be consistent with his own slower and US-dominated approach.
And, the President and Senator Frist want to see no mandates for deeper debt relief. Senator Lugar (R-IN) is under tremendous
pressure to go along with the White House and Senator Frist on this issue.
EMAILS AND CALLS ARE NEEDED NOW TO TURN THIS AROUND! WITH ENOUGH PRESSURE WE CAN HELP ENSURE ENOUGH FUNDS TO FIGHT AIDS GET TO NEEDY PROGRAMS FAST AND EFFICIENTLY. WE NEED A FAST AND EFFECTIVE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS AND WE NEED DEBT CANCELLATION ==> LIVES ARE IN THE BALANCE.
THE DETAILS:
President Bush wants AIDS legislation to be consistent with the AIDS Plan he presented during the State of the Union Address. The President presented a bold and compelling vision on the issue, including for treatment with generics. But, the fine-print of the plan shows that, unless it is fixed by Congress, the result will be a slow-paced, US-dominated program.
Less than 5% of the promised $10 billion in new spending for AIDS over the next five years is requested in the President's FY 2004 budget. And, Bush proposes a reduction from this year's contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (from $350 million to $200 million), and favors instead programs that are fully controlled by the US. Out of loyalty to the President, key members of Congress may be persuaded to go along with the Bush approach.
To enforce his approach Bush is seeking changes in a key spending authorization bill. The bill in question passed the Senate unanimously last year (it was called the Kerry-Frist bill). Since it failed to pass the full Congress it has to be re-introduced and voted on, first in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Committee may act on the bill next week.
Entitled "The US Leadership to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria Act", the bill would have authorized $2.5 billion in US spending in fiscal
year 2004, with $1.25 billion of that for the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, TB and Malaria. That 50-50 split, with half for programs
sponsored solely by the US government and half for multilateral
programs like the Global Fund, showed a balanced approach to
fighting AIDS. Combined with another bill, it would also have
mandated the Bush Administration seek changes in international debt programs. It would have requited that that no recipient country would pay more than 10% of their government revenue on debt payments (and no more than 5% if the country is facing a health crisis).
Efforts have been made in the current Congress to schedule a mark-up of the bill in the Senate Foregn Relations Committee, where Senator Lugar is chair. But, action in the Committee came to a halt when Senator Frist recently shifted his support to the substitute version drafted by the White House. This version would strip out all specific funding levels for AIDS programs and remove all congressional oversight mechanisms. The overall funding level would be reduced to $2 billion, and there would be no designated funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (even though the Fund will soon run out of resources!). In addition, the critically important provisions in the bill for deeper debt cancellation for countries fighting AIDS and poverty would be completely removed.
Senator Frist has been a powerful voice advocating bold action on global AIDS -- We expect more from Senator Frist! Senator Lugar has also spoken out in favor of a strong US response to the epidemic -- so, we need Senator Lugar to stand up to White House pressure! The bill passed last year by the Senate was a good step forward -- why change the bill now just so it does not show up the President?!
As Senator Lugar said in December, "We must do much more on the African AIDS pandemic which is a humanitarian catastrophe and a serious economic and political crisis."
The NYC newspaper Newsday covered the cave-in by Senator Frist and Senator Lugar's reaction:
click on:
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-usaids133129177feb13.story (copy/paste this link)
MORE ACTION IDEAS:
Let your own Senators know how you feel! Give their offices a call and ask them to contact Senator Lugar and Senator Frist!
Congressional switchboard: 202-224-3121