Congresswoman Barbara Lee Participates in Panel Discussion with Obama, Clinton, Bush for World AIDS Day
Contact: Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-1882
Lee Commends Administration for New Commitments; Says Congress Must Act to Fully Fund AIDS Programs
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), a founding co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, observed World AIDS Day by participating in a panel discussion with President Barack Obama, who announced new commitments for fighting domestic and global AIDS. The Congresswoman joined leading AIDS advocates including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, along with Tanzania’s President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Bono, and Alicia Keys. The event was sponsored by ONE and (RED), organizations that combat global poverty and AIDS.
“We have worked very hard to target resources to the communities that have been hardest hit by this disease and I am pleased that the President found a way to address the immediate needs of thousands of Americans currently on the waiting list for life-saving drugs,” said Lee. “At this momentous time in the fight to end the AIDS epidemic, President Obama’s leadership is invaluable in our renewed efforts. The commitment from the Administration to scale-up treatment to 6 million people has the potential to transform the international response to this devastating epidemic and making the end of AIDS the legacy of our generation.”
While the President announced an increase of $50 million for domestic treatment, efforts are underway on Capitol Hill to preserve essential global AIDS programs. Congresswoman Barbara Lee was joined by 102 Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations requesting robust funding for vital global health programs in Fiscal Year 2012. Specifically, the Members requested that appropriators support the Senate’s proposed funding level for bilateral and multilateral global health programs, including $5.25 billion for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and $1.05 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“The United States has made tremendous progress in our global and domestic response to AIDS, but we still have a long way to go,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Now is the time to act boldly and to invest in a future for America and the world that is more prosperous, more equal, and free of HIV and AIDS.”
AIDS is still the greatest humanitarian crisis of our lifetime. Thirty-four million people are living with HIV globally, including 1.2 million in the United States. Of the 15 million people medically recommended for anti-retroviral medication, only half have access to the drug treatment. Even in our own country, more than 5,000 people wait to gain access. African Americans —especially women of color and young gay/bisexual men—still face the most severe burden of HIV in the United States.
Thirty years after the first discovery of AIDS cases, the United States has made tremendous progress in its response to the global and domestic crisis. HIV infections worldwide are at their lowest levels since 1997. Recent scientific advancements have resulted in revolutionary breakthroughs in the AIDS response, including groundbreaking research that shows that treatment can reduce new HIV infections by up to 96%.
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Congresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008, and in 2005 legislation addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. She has also been a leader in the effort to establish a National AIDS Strategy, and is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services & Education with jurisdiction over all domestic HIV/AIDS funding. She is the only United States representative on United Nations Development Programme’s Global Commission on HIV and the Law and was the original sponsor of legislation that lead to the repeal of the Immigration and Travel ban that barred the entry of HIV positive individuals. The repeal allowed the International AIDS conference - scheduled for July 2012 in Washington DC - to be held in the U.S. after 20 years.