Money Fight Stalls AIDS Bill in Senate

Yesterday evening, a full Senate hearing of the Ryan White CARE Act was stopped by Democratic senators representing states likely to lose HIV/AIDS care funding under the bill's revised allocation criteria. In allocating $2.1 billion for HIV/AIDS care to states and cities, the revised act would shift more resources to rural and Southern states where HIV is spreading and less to larger urban jurisdictions on the historic frontline of the U.S. AIDS epidemic.

The revised act, which would tie funding to name-based HIV reporting, has passed House and Senate committees, and Republican leaders were hoping to bring the legislation before the entire House and Senate this week. However, Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York, and Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey all objected to the current bill.

On the Senate floor Tuesday night, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) called for the bill's immediate passage. Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) immediately objected on behalf of the senators who oppose "permanent reduction of funding that would occur in their respective states."

Under Senate rules, a single objecting Senator can block a bill's passage. "I'm sorry to hear we have an objection," said Enzi, chairperson of the Senate health committee. "We need to find a way to get through this objection." "If they truly have the HIV numbers they will get the money. If they don't have the HIV numbers, yes, they will lose the money," he said.

Enzi aides said they may attach the bill to another piece of legislation that is so essential that it would ensure the revised Ryan White Act's passage. Opponents in the House and Senate wanted to extend existing Ryan White legislation for a year to allow negotiations to occur.

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the health committee, supports the revised bill and is pressing colleagues to pass it. "There are few more urgent responsibilities for Congress this week than to pass this bipartisan legislation," he said in a statement yesterday.

Back to other news for September 27, 2006