Congress Should Approve Rep. Hyde’s International AIDS Legislation, San Antonio Express-News Editorial Says

Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) "has emerged as an unlikely hero in the global war against AIDS" for "pushing" President Bush's proposed international AIDS initiative, a San Antonio Express-News editorial states (San Antonio Express-News, 4/23). The House International Relations Committee on April 2 approved 37-8 HR 1298, sponsored by Hyde, who is the committee chair, that would authorize $15 billion over five years to fight international AIDS. The bill would allocate $3 billion a year for five years for international HIV/AIDS programs, with up to $1 billion in fiscal year 2004 going to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/18). "Congress should approve the legislation after it returns from its Easter recess next week," the Express-News states. The editorial concludes, "[I]t's in every nation's interest, especially wealthy ones such as the United States, to accelerate the battle against this deadly killer" (San Antonio Express-News, 4/23).