Your Urgent Action Needed!

The Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives will make final decisions regarding emergency spending on Wednesday, May 1, 2002. These emergency funds are part of the FY 2002 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. Members of Congress who favor a strong response to the global AIDS epidemic will try to offer an amendment to the bill, which would provide funds to fight the disease.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Il) has instructed House Appropriators to pass a spending bill that matches the President's $27.1 billion request. These emergency funds, requested by the President, are intended to be spent on Homeland Security and military spending. The measure, which traditionally is intended to address shortfalls in the fiscal year's budget, which includes, according to lawmakers, Pell grant funding, state and local ballot counting systems and funding for international HIV/AIDS programs. Therefore, your voice is needed more than ever!

If your Representative is on the Appropriations Committee, call their Washington D.C. office on Tuesday, April 30!! Urge all your friends and colleagues to call. If you know who your Representative is and would like to know if they are a member of the Appropriations Committee, check http://www.house.gov/appropriations/members.htm.

Urge support for at least $700 million for the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria in the emergency supplemental spending bill coming up for consideration. Since these are emergency funds, providing the funds does not take away from any other program.

If your Representative is not on the Appropriations Committee ask him or her to contact the leadership of the Committee to urge support for $700 million in Emergency Supplemental funds to help end the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Hearings will be held this week in the Senate Appropriations Committee regarding the supplemental budget and Homeland Security but the committee is not expected to "mark-up" the bill until it has been passed by the House of Representatives.

If you do not know who your Member of Congress is, to find out if they are on the Appropriations Committee, or to learn how to contact them, you can do so by going to the AIDS Action website at www.aidsaction.org and visiting the Legislative Action Center or by calling the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Take AIDS Action

Please call your Member of Congress and ask for their support for $700 million in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill for the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. The Congressional switchboard can transfer you to your Member's office. Call 202-224-3121.