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Urge Congress to Support Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for Global AIDS Fund

Last April, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the creation of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This international fund is intended to help treat and prevent HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria for those without access to medicine, healthcare, and adequate prevention programs.

While the United States was asked for a $2 billion contribution to this fund, the final appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2002 contained an inadequate $200 million. This amount lowered the bar on donations made by other countries and funders and momentum slowed dramatically.

Some Members of Congress, including Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) are pushing for an emergency supplemental appropriation of $750 million for this fund, which would make the contribution by the United States roughly $1 billion for this fiscal year. This emergency request might be attached to an upcoming emergency spending bill related to funding the war on terrorism, homeland security, or relief for Afghanistan. $750 million is a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars being considered for those programs, and would make a strong statement that the United States intends to play an important role in fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

You can help with this effort by encouraging the Bush Administration and your Members of Congress to support this emergency supplemental!

How You Can Help

Congress may consider this emergency request very soon. Please take a few minutes to contact the Bush Administration and your federal elected officials and urge them to support this effort!

1. Call or email the White House with the following message:

   "I urge President Bush to ask Congress for a $750 million emergency supplemental appropriation for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The United States should make a meaningful contribution to this effort to prevent infections and provide access to treatment and care to those in need around the world."

   Contact information:
   (phone calls recommended over email)
   Phone: 202-456-1414
   Email: president@whitehouse.gov

2. Then, call or email your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators with the same message. Phone calls are recommended over email. Ask them to convey their support to members of the Appropriations Committee, who will be the key decision-makers about this issue.

   Contact information:
   You can find local and D.C. phone numbers, along with email addresses, for your Representative at www.house.gov. Contact information for your Senators can be found at www.senate.gov.

3. You can get more information about efforts to secure adequate funding for international HIV/AIDS programs -- including more ways you can involved -- by visiting HealthGAP's website, www.healthgap.org. HealthGAP is a coalition of U.S.-based activists working to increase access to care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.