PEPFAR shows how working across 'political spectrum' can prove successful

"Thirty years since the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in the United States, the world finds itself at a tipping point in the fight against this deadly disease," U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby and George W. Bush Inaugural Global Health Fellow Ambassador Mark Dybul, who served as global AIDS coordinator from 2006 to 2009, write in a Huffington Post opinion piece. With the creation of PEPFAR, "President Bush and Congress responded with an effort that reflected ... the compassion and generosity of the American people, [with an] insistence on impact," they write, adding, "Since taking office, the Obama Administration has made building on the success of PEPFAR a priority."

"Recent scientific advances hold the promise that we will get to the finish line, and U.S. achievements under both the Bush and Obama Administrations have put us in the position to begin to make the final push. ... PEPFAR is a shining example of how people, working together across the political spectrum, can make tremendous accomplishments. When we come together in this way, quite simply, millions of lives can be saved and hope restored, making our world -- and our nation -- more secure," they conclude (9/14).