Bush in State of the Union address calls on Congress to allocate $30 billion for PEPFAR

President Bush on Monday during his last State of the Union address urged Congress to authorize a $30 billion, five-year extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the New York Times reports (Stolberg, New York Times, 1/29).

PEPFAR initially was authorized to direct $15 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis primarily to 15 focus countries. Bush in May 2007 called on Congress to increase this initial PEPFAR funding level to $30 billion for five years after the program's original mandate expires in September. Administration officials have said reauthorization of the program at $30 billion would increase the number of people receiving access to antiretroviral drugs through PEPFAR from 1.4 million to 2.5 million. In addition, a $30 billion reauthorization would provide prevention measures to about 12 million people (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/25).

Bush in his address said that PEPFAR "can bring healing and hope" to "many more" people than the 1.4 million who currently receive treatment through the program. He called on Congress to "maintain the principles that have changed behavior and made [PEPFAR] a success." Bush added that the U.S. is "working to cut by half the number of malaria-related deaths in 15 African nations" through the President's Malaria Initiative. The U.S. is "leading the fight against global poverty" and has "changed the way" aid is delivered by launching the Millennium Challenge Account, which "strengthens democracy, transparency and the rule of law in developing nations," Bush said as he called on Congress to "fully fund" the account (Bush speech text, 1/29).

Among the guests at Bush's address was Tatu Msangi, a 35-year-old registered nurse from Tanzania, and her daughter, Faith Mang'ehe. After learning she was HIV-positive Msangi enrolled in a PEPFAR program aimed at preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission and delivered an HIV-negative infant (AP/Google.com, 1/28).

Reaction

David Bryden of the Global AIDS Alliance said that Bush's speech was ambiguous about funding for HIV/AIDS. Bush has "proposed 'doubling' spending to $30 billion, but the reality is that his proposal would not double current spending at all," Bryden said, adding that money for malaria programs also could be affected if additional HIV/AIDS funds are not allocated. John Bradshaw, public policy director for Physicians for Human Rights, called on Bush to request $59 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other global health programs and to implement more programs aimed at women (Kennedy/Gabel, AllAfrica.com, 1/29). Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said she is "disappointed" that Bush did not "announce a more significant commitment" to PEPFAR (Lee statement, 1/28). Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, urged Bush to ask Congress for "additional funding for PEPFAR above and beyond the $30 billion" requested. Weinstein also urged Congress to "quickly reauthorize" PEPFAR so the program "does not get sidelined by election-year politics" (AHF release, 1/28).

Lee also said that Bush has "flat-lined funding" for domestic and minority HIV/AIDS programs, "even as data shows communities of color are increasingly bearing the brunt of the disease" (Lee statement, 1/28). Whitney Engeran, director of AHF's Public Health Division, said the group is "saddened" that Bush did not "take a real leadership position in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the U.S." (AHF release, 1/28).

Video of the complete State of the Union address is available online at kaisernetwork.org.

A VOA News interview with Msangi is available online.