Congress Should Make $3 Billion ‘Down Payment’ on AIDS Funding, Boston Globe Editorial Says
Congress should make a $3 billion "down payment" later this month when it addresses the allocation of funding for the global AIDS bill if it is to avoid making the law "look useless," a Boston Globe editorial says (Boston Globe, 6/10). President Bush last month signed into law an international HIV/AIDS bill (HR 1298) that authorizes $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. Congress must still approve the spending levels defined in the bill through the appropriations process. While the bill calls for $3 billion a year for five years, the Bush administration in its fiscal year 2004 budget proposal only recommended $1.7 billion for the initiative (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/27). In addition, Bush has proposed allocating only $200 million of the $1.7 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, "a shockingly low amount for what is the best vehicle the world has for attacking AIDS worldwide," the Globe says. Rich nations should contribute more money to the fund, and the United States should "get over its reluctance to put money into multilateral efforts," the editorial says, concluding that Congress should "do better and increase" the amounts proposed by Bush, allocating the full $3 billion proposed in the bill (Boston Globe, 6/10).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.