“President Obama: Stop PEPFAR Cuts”

In Advocacy, News by AHF

 

WASHINGTON (July 23, 2012)—AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which provides AIDS care and treatment services to more than 176,000 individuals in 27 countries worldwide, is spearheading a protest march during the XIX International AIDS Conference.  The march will begin outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (North West corner of Mt. Vernon Square) and proceed down New York Avenue toward the White House. President Obama has proposed cutting funding for the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), respected the respected global AIDS program

WHAT:         PROTEST MARCH—“Tell President Obama to Stop Global AIDS Cuts”
From International AIDS Conference to the White House
(leaving from North West corner of Mt. Vernon Square outside
Walter E. Washington Convention Center)

WHEN:        July 23, 2012     START—12 noon to 2:00 pm  

WHERE:         (leaving from the North West corner of Mt. Vernon Square outside
Walter E. Washington Convention Center  marching to the White House

“Through this protest march, we will be demanding that President Obama stop cuts to PEPFAR, the respected global AIDS program spearheaded by the United States,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “In May of this year, AHF lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for budgeting $193 million more to global AIDS programs in the 2013 Foreign Operations & Appropriations Bill than President Obama proposed. Despite a five percent, or two billion dollar reduction in overall foreign operations spending from the Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bill, the House intended to maintain current levels of funding, a stark contrast to the Administration’s unprecedented request for a reduction in global AIDS funding of $214 million—the first time a U.S. president has ever cut funding  AIDS.”

Foreign Operations & Appropriations Funding—FY 2012 vs. FY 2013 

Following is a snapshot of year-over-year funding levels proposed by Congress and the Administration:
1.    Total FY2012 enacted, for both bilateral PEPFAR and Global Fund, $5.543 billion; with PEPFAR accounting for $4.243 billion, and Global Fund at $1.3 billion;
2.    President Obama’s proposed FY 2013 funding for both programs is $5.35 billion; $3.7 billion for bilateral PEPFAR funding and $1.650 billion for the Global Fund;
3.    The House FY2013 appropriation is $5.543 billion, in the same proportion as FY2012 enacted. The House bill provides:

1.    $4,242,860,000 for the bilateral programs, PEPFAR
2.    $1,300,000,000 for the Global Fund
3.    $5,542,860,000 TOTAL, which is the same as the FY2012 level and $192,860,000 above the President’s budget request.

PEPFAR was the result of President Bush’s groundbreaking 2003 State of the Union pledge to bring two million HIV positive Africans and others into treatment and prevent seven million new HIV infections via a five-year, $15 billion US-funded program. It currently operates in 15 focus countries and claims to support antiretroviral treatment for 1.4 million people worldwide. PEPFAR has been one of the most successful global humanitarian programs in recent memory, providing medical care to millions of people with HIV/AIDS, it has given hope to the 33 million people with HIV/AIDS in the world.

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About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation’s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 176,000 individuals in 27 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean Eastern Europe and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org

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