Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report Summarizes Editorials, Position Statements on President Bush’s International AIDS Proposal
President Bush in his State of the Union address on Tuesday proposed spending $15 billion over the next five years to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, a plan which includes $10 billion in new money. Under the plan, new funds averaging an additional $2 billion per year would be phased in gradually to the $1 billion per year the government now spends on AIDS. According to White House officials, the new money will be focused on providing aid to Botswana, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia; only $1 billion would go to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/29). Summarized below are some of the newspaper editorials, press releases and position statements that address the proposal, each listed in alphabetical order:
Editorials
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Akron Beacon Journal: The Journal applauds Bush's proposed increase in AIDS funding but said that because his administration has pushed a "callous and shortsighted agenda that obstructs underfunded international agencies, withholding funds as a means to stifle preventive programs such as condom distribution, sex education and family planning for rural women," the "test of commitment ... is not earnest speech," but a "'show me the money' follow-through" (Akron Beacon Journal, 1/30).
- Arizona Daily Star: In "nearly every" measure outlined in his State of the Union address, Bush "failed to clearly outline those challenges or present ways to meet them," a Daily Star editorial says, adding that his AIDS policy, however, was a "step forward" and was the "most concrete example ... of putting compassion into American policy." The editorial concludes that, while the proposed increase was a step forward, UNAIDS estimates that much more will be needed to stem the spread of the disease (Arizona Daily Star, 1/29).
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Chicago Tribune: Congress must "speed up [the] process" of distributing the proposed funds, because "every day of delay means thousands of people are infected or die from AIDS," a Tribune editorial states. Because "devising a mechanism to properly channel" the funds could prove to be extremely difficult, Bush and the Congress should consider "speeding up" its contribution to the already-established Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in order to "ensure money gets to those who need it more quickly," the editorial concludes (Chicago Tribune, 1/30).
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Globe and Mail: Bush "has thrown down the gauntlet that should be taken up by Canada and other wealthy countries," a Globe and Mail editorial states, adding, "More, much more, needs to be done." The editorial says that "[s]ome may be cynical about Mr. Bush's motives in focusing on AIDS ... when he is also talking about fighting a war in Iraq"; however, "[h]e has proved a formidable foe of terrorists. He may yet prove equally formidable in fighting the deadliest disease of our era," the Globe and Mail states. The editorial concludes, "Here at least, unilateralism should not be an issue. Canada and the rest of the world should take up this challenge without hesitation" (Globe and Mail, 1/30).
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Houston Chronicle: A Chronicle editorial says that a "careful reading" of Bush's AIDS proposal "is in order in Austin," where the state Department of Health is proposing cuts in its AIDS Drug Assistance Program. The Chronicle adds that the president's "otherwise noble gesture" could be tainted by "cynical politicking" if much of the proposed funding is funneled through African governments -- "many of which have squandered past aid" -- instead of through the Global Fund (Houston Chronicle, 1/29).
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Los Angeles Times: Despite some critics who have called the president's plan "political cover," the announcement "was good politics," the Times writes, adding that "[a]mong other things, it enabled him to outflank potential rivals such as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who began his 2004 presidential campaign with a call for more AIDS funding." The editorial urges Congress to "swiftly" approve the increased funding, but "should not rubber-stamp the president's plan for distributing it," noting that the Global Fund, which has been criticized for "inefficiency," operates publicly to distribute funds, as opposed to private contractors that receive funds through U.S. agencies and "often undergo little or no scrutiny" (Los Angeles Times, 1/31).
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The president's "stunning initiative deserves the full support of Congress and the American people," the Journal Sentinel says. The editorial urges pharmaceutical companies, which have siginificantly lowered antiretroviral drug prices, to "cut further." The Journal Sentinel also urges political and public health officials "to change attitudes in African countries, where AIDS too often is not taken seriously and where the use of condoms too often is avoided" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/30).
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Minneapolis Star Tribune: A Star Tribune editorial on Wednesday said that Bush's "impassioned appeal" for funds to fight AIDS was the "one surprise of the night," adding that the money "has the potential to do great good" (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1/29).
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New York Times: Bush's attention to AIDS is a reminder of his "'compassionate conservative' agenda" and his "ability to create bold and surprising initiatives that breach the gulf between left and right," a Times editorial states, adding that the AIDS program was the "most welcome proposal" of those announced during his address (New York Times, 1/29).
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Philadelphia Inquirer: Bush has picked a "worthy campaign" in his proposal to increase funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, but he must now "follow through on his urge to help," the Inquirer states. The editorial suggests that the president help "strengthen health systems" in the countries receiving funds; "pester pharmaceutical companies to keep providing drugs at an affordable cost"; and be "honest about just how much money is involved." The proposed AIDS funding "would be best used by streamlining the administrative bureaucracy" that the money goes through, the Inquirer states, suggesting that the government disperse all AIDS money through the Global Fund (Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/30).
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San Antonio Express-News: Bush's plan "deserves swift support in Congress," the Express-News states, adding that the need for assistance "is urgent, and a nation as wealthy as the United States cannot turn away from the staggering human misery caused by AIDS." The editorial concludes, "The United States can demonstrate true leadership and compassion by providing the funding increase Bush seeks. To do less would be unconscionable" (San Antonio Express-News, 1/30).
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USA Today: Although the president's plan "can spare great suffering abroad," the United States "has a record of promising more money than it actually distributes" for HIV/AIDS initiatives, USA Today says. "Persuading Congress to approve all $15 billion is bound to be tough at a time of soaring deficits and other costly administration priorities," such as a potential war in Iraq, the editorial continues. However, "[b]efore they take out their budget-carving knives," Congress should consider that AIDS is also a security threat "that decimates societies, turning them into poor and lawless places that can be as hospitable to terrorists as Afghanistan once was," USA Today states. This initiative could "make Americans safer at home if the U.S. makes good on this pledge," the editorial concludes (USA Today, 1/31).
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Washington Post: Bush's AIDS initiative was the "most striking" of those offered in his address, a Post editorial states, adding that although his proposal to offer drug treatment to two million Africans is "slight compared with the challenge," the measure is "a huge and overdue improvement." The editorial concludes that Congress should "quickly embrace" the president's plan (Washington Post, 1/29).
Press Releases and Position Statements
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AIDS Foundation of Chicago: In a letter to editors, Mark Ishaug, executive director of the foundation, writes, "While AFC stands behind the the president's commitment to stemming the tide of international HIV/AIDS infection, we believe he must also display the same leadership in battling the domestic HIV/AIDS crisis." Ishaug adds that Bush's fiscal year 2004 budget proposal, which is expected to be released to Congress next week, "will prove whether the president's impassioned speech on AIDS translates into a renewed commitment against the epidemic in the U.S." (AFC letter, 1/29).
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Center for Global Development: CGD President Nancy Birdsall says in a statement that "the U.S. needs to leverage its leadership to make multilateral initiatives like the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria as effective as possible," adding, "Let's hope that the $1 billion announced for the Global Fund is secured early, in the 2004 budget, and thereafter if the fund performs" (CGD release, 1/29).
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Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation: "This crisis is of unimaginable proportions, and our history and our character as a nation obligates us to mobilize [as] quickly and comprehensively as possible and make a concerted effort to provide adequate financial resources," the foundation states in a press release, adding that the president's plan "alone will not be a final solution, but if funded speedily and implemented efficiently, it could truly be a turning point in the world's efforts to stop this deadly disease" (EGPAF release, 1/29).
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Global AIDS Alliance: Dr. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the alliance, says that "[i]t's very disappointing the president is not calling for a more rapid increase in new funding" and that the plan "gives short shrift to the Global Fund." Zeitz continues, "The Global Fund is the best hope yet for the fight against AIDS ... yet the president seems ready to let the fund down," concluding that any government investment should be "balanced between multilateral and bilateral programs, based on their respective comparative advantages." The Global AIDS Alliance has also released an analysis of Bush's plan, and it is available online (Global AIDS Alliance release, 1/29).
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Human Rights Campaign: HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch writes in a letter that was sent to the president on Wednesday, "While we applaud your announcement of increased funding for fighting global AIDS because it is the moral issue of our time, we are concerned you made only a passing mention of the domestic AIDS crisis in the speech, which we believe reflects the administration's continued lack of focus on increased funding and support for science-based prevention, treatment and research of HIV in our own country." Birch states that HRC is prepared to work with the administration to "promote increased funding for domestic AIDS prevention ... and policies committed to science, not ideology, in this battle" (HRC release, 1/29).
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International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care: "If President Bush's call for significantly increased resources with which to treat and prevent AIDS around the world comes to fruition -- and if the plan is as straightforward as it appears -- this may represent one of the largest steps taken in the history of this struggle," IAPAC President and CEO Jose Zuniga says in a press release (IAPAC release, 1/29).
- Pfizer, Inc.: Pfizer Chair and CEO Hank McKinnell, who also is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS, says in a press release that Bush "made it clear that the United States has the duty, responsibility and commitment to lead the world in addressing the most devastating public health emergency of our time," adding that other organizations, corporations and governments worldwide "should seize this opportunity to step up their own activities and create a united front in this critical battle" (Pfizer release, 1/29).