More Money for Global AIDS Fund Should Come From ‘All Around the World,’ Powell Says on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’
Secretary of State Colin Powell, discussing U.S. financial contributions to help fight AIDS in Africa on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said, "[W]e're giving a lot more than $200 million," which was "our most recent contribution" to the global AIDS trust fund. Powell said that the $200 million is "on top of something in the neighborhood of $500 million that's already in the State Department accounts for this purpose." He added, "We do need more money. And that more money needs to come from all around the world -- other countries, the European Union, Asian nations -- that have the ability to give. It should come from wealthy individuals. It is a global trust fund, not a single appropriation to be spent in a single year. And I think the United States and especially President Bush should be given credit for designating [HHS] Secretary [Tommy] Thompson and I to work on this issue and then seeding this global health trust fund ... I hope that in the future we'll be able to find more resources and in the next appropriation cycle ask for more money to put into that trust fund." Powell said it is "a bit off to criticize the United States" for not finding another $200 million to fight AIDS, which he called "a health problem, a social problem, an economic problem, a destroyer of societies" (Russert, "Meet the Press," NBC, 6/3).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.