AIDS Institute proposes increases for AIDS medications and level funding for prevention

Funding for Hepatitis Prevention at the CDC would remain at approximately $30 million.

By supporting federal funding of syringe exchange programs, the Committee agreed with President Obama's budget that evidence-based science should be followed when it comes to HIV prevention. The Committee rejected discretionary funding of failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. At the insistence of the House of Representatives, a federal funding ban on syringe exchange programs and discretionary funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs was reinstituted for FY12.

Included in the bill is funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, including the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is critically important to providing access to care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS as well as preventing HIV.

The bill passed the Committee by a vote of 16 to 14, with all Republicans voting against it.

"As the International AIDS Conference returns to Washington, DC, this July, the eyes of the world will be on the U.S. to see if we are adequately addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic," commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. "President Obama has shown leadership by developing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy and bolstering it with the dollars to implement it. With this bill, the Senate has shown its commitment, as well. Now we await what the House of Representatives will do, which may have differing views on how to address federal spending. Whatever path is taken, it is critical that programs of public health significance, including HIV/AIDS, are adequately funded," Ruppal concluded.