On World AIDS Day, Congresswoman Lee Calls for Bipartisan Reauthorization of PEPFAR
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, released the below statement on World AIDS Day, observed on December 1st of each year.
“World AIDS Day is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible progress we have made toward becoming an AIDS-free generation, saving 25 million lives through transformative programs like PEPFAR. However, this year is different from years past, as we face a stalemate in Congress to reauthorize this critical program.
“For 20 years, PEPFAR has been one of our nation’s most profound and transformational investments. PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives, and 5.5 million babies have been born HIV-free as a result of the critical work funded by the program.
“We have an obligation not only to millions of AIDS patients across the globe, but to the activists, advocates, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have worked tirelessly to establish this program and keep it funded. On World AIDS Day, I call upon my colleagues in Congress to reignite the bipartisanship that has been linked to PEPFAR for so long and act swiftly to keep this lifesaving program alive.”
The program was made possible in large part by the work of Rep. Lee and the CBC. In December 2002, she and her Congressional Black Caucus colleagues sent a letter to then-President George W. Bush, calling for a broader global investment in HIV/AIDS.
In 2003, Bush called on Congress to create such a program during his State of the Union address. The bipartisan law establishing PEPFAR passed later that year.
Since coming to Congress, Rep. Barbara Lee has authored or co-authored every major piece of HIV/AIDS legislation. She founded and has served as a co-chair to the HIV/AIDS Caucus and built bipartisan support for HIV/AIDS education and treatment.