Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - September 24, 2004
Lou Chibbaro Jr.
Citing spending limits proposed by President Bush, the Republican-controlled appropriations committees in both the Senate and House approved spending bills that "flat fund" the two key AIDS programs. The full House approved the flat-funding proposal on Sept. 10, and the Senate is expected to take the same action later this month.
"We did not do very well on AIDS," said Ellen Murray, an aide to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), ranking minority member of the Senate appropriations subcommittee in charge of health issues.
Murray said Harkin earlier this year attempted to expand the level of discretionary funds available for health programs, including AIDS programs, in the federal budget resolution, which Congress uses to establish mandatory parameters on spending. But Harkin's efforts were defeated in a vote that fell mostly along partisan lines, Murray said.
"Once you get to this point, you can't rob Peter to pay Paul," Murray said. "We can't steal from other programs."
AIDS activists have hailed the Ryan White Act, known officially as the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, as the cornerstone of the nation's programs to assist people with AIDS who lack private health insurance.
Funding for the program rose sharply over the past decade. But some lawmakers and the Bush administration have said the program's current budget of $2.1 billion must compete with other health concerns, including the president's global AIDS relief program aimed at Africa and the Caribbean. The House and Senate appropriations panels agreed to increase the Ryan White program budget by $34 million for fiscal year 2005, with all of that money going to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, known as ADAP.
Bill McColl, an official with the national group AIDS Action, said the group is pleased that Congress is about to boost the ADAP program but is dismayed that other important AIDS programs will go without any funding increase.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay lobby, criticized the two congressional committees for agreeing to the Bush administration's request to flat fund Ryan White while increasing funds for an abstinence-only program.
The Senate Appropriations Committee increased the president's abstinence-only program by $36.5 million for fiscal year 2005. The House on Sept. 10 voted to increase the abstinence program by $35 million.
In an action supported by AIDS groups, the Senate committee voted for a $1.1 billion increase for medical research by the National Institutes of Health. A sizable amount of NIH research funds goes to AIDS research. The House voted to boost the NIH research funds by $727 million. A conference committee must work out the differences between the two chambers.
AIDS group lauds Frist
In a related development, AIDS Action was scheduled to present an award on Sept. 22 to Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) at an AIDS Action breakfast fund-raiser in D.C.
The group says Frist has been a "champion" behind efforts to pass a global AIDS assistance bill as well as a longtime supporter of the Ryan White CARE Act. McColl said AIDS Action is disappointed that Frist has not pushed for greater funding for Ryan White, but the group hoped to help educate Frist and others attending the fund-raising breakfast on the need for increased funding.
Others being honored at the event include House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), AIDS advocate and AIDS Action board member Dr. Benny Prim, former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Pfizer pharmaceutical company CEO Hank McKinnell.
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