CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE'S AMENDMENT INCREASING FUNDING FOR HIV/AIDS PASSED IN HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Washington, DC - The House
International Relations Committee today passed by a vote of 32 - 4, an
amendment to H.R. 2069,
The Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education, and
Treatment Act of 2001, offered by Congresswoman
Barbara Lee that increased bi-lateral and multi-lateral funding for
international HIV/AIDS programs. The
Hyde-Lantos-Leach-Lee Amendment was offered as a substitute to H.R.
2069, a bill offered by Chairman of the House International Relations
Committee
Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) to increase bi-lateral HIV/AIDS funding by
$150 million.
Congresswoman Lee lead negotiations with Chairman Hyde to increase overall funding in the bill. The amendment increased
bi-lateral funding from $469 to $560 million. It dropped a provision
that limited the United States' per year contribution to an
international trust fund at 25% of the total contribution from other
donor nations and set multi-lateral funding at $750 million. The
amendment retained a provision that provides $50 million for drug
procurement programs.
"This is a good step in the right direction, but we need to invest
much more money in this effort," said Lee. "I was a member of
the US delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS, where the international
community is calling for $7 to $10 billion a year to combat the disease. As the most powerful nation in the world we have an
obligation to lead the world in addressing this pandemic."
"This is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. It is not a
Republican or Democratic issue, but a moral issue that threatens
the entire human family," said Lee. "The U.S. contribution to an
international trust fund should be $1 billion at a minimum, and I
will continue to work for more funding."
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