WASHINGTON, July 17, 2008 (AFP) - The US Senate has given a major boost to a program to combat AIDS and malaria around the world, voting to triple funding for a cause championed by President George W. Bush.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 80 to 16 to authorize 48 billion dollars over the next five years -- 18 billion dollars more than Bush had requested -- for the program, which also includes funds to battle tuberculosis.
"This bill will expand American leadership on global health and foster hope around the world. Once fully funded, it will not only help poor countries but serve America's interests as well," said Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.
The legislation has provided a rare moment for the Democrats who control Congress to agree with the Republican president.
"We've been negotiating this legislation for many months and it is a product of bipartisan compromise and commitment to saving lives worldwide," Democratic Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the foreign relations committee, said in a statement.
"I would also like to thank the President. His decision to launch this initiative was bold and unexpected and I believe historians may regard it as his finest hour," he said. "We will be proud to send this legislation to his desk."
The bill, which provides access to life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, has already been approved by the House of Representatives.
Bush, who launched the program in 2003 with 15 billion dollars in funding, praised lawmakers for passing what he called "life-saving legislation."
The US president said 50,000 people in sub-Saharan were receiving anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS when he launched the program in 2003. Now 1.7 million people receive treatment around the world, he said.
"With passage of today's bill we are one step closer to ensuring that this excellent program continues to help those in need," he said. "I encourage the full Congress to move quickly to send me final legislation that I can sign."
Senior Republican Dick Lugar said renewing the program would save lives as well as strengthen African societies and bolster America's image abroad.
"We should understand that our investments in disease prevention programs have yielded enormous foreign policy benefits during the last five years," Lugar said in a statement.
The program "has helped to prevent instability and societal collapse in a number of at-risk countries," built "deep partnerships with a new generation of African leaders" and "improved attitudes toward the United States in Africa and other regions."
080717
AF080749
Copyright ©AFP 2008. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2008. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.