Rep. Barbara Lee, Congress Members Urge Obama Administration to Up AIDS Funding in FY11, Notes AHF

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today lauded 14 members of Congress for urging the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Congressional Committee on Appropriations and the Obama Administration to increase funding of all domestic HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and related programs in Fiscal Year 2011. On November 12^th, Congress Members Barbara Lee (CA, 9^th), Jose E. Serrano (NY, 16^th), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA, 34^th), Sam Farr (CA, 17^th), Michael M. Honda (CA, 15^th), Tim Ryan (OH, 17^th), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL, 20^th), Maxine Waters (CA, 35^th), Henry A. Waxman (CA, 30^th), Tammy Baldwin (WI, 2^nd), Donna M Christensen (USVI), Jerrold Nadler (NY, 8^th), Mike Quigley (IL, 5^th) and Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL, 2^nd) sent a letter to David R. Obey (WI, 7^th), Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, and Jerry Lewis (CA, 41^st), the Ranking Member of the Committee, asking them to “...seek the highest possible level of funding for all domestic HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and related programs.”

“...without immediate action…the number of people on waiting lists could spike to 9,000 by the end of FY11”

In their letter, the Representatives cited the growing crisis in the federal/state AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) for low income Americans that has forced over 4,000 AIDS patients in nine states to go on waiting lists for access to receive lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications as one reason the Administration must fully fund AIDS care and services in 2011. In July, President Obama announced he was redirecting $25 million to address the AIDS drug crisis—$101 million less than what most policy experts and AIDS advocates agree is needed to resolve the problem. The Congress Members noted that “...without immediate action…the number of people on waiting lists could spike to 9,000 by the end of FY11,” adding, “We urge you to work with the Senate and the Administration to find a way to make these critical funds available to ADAP as soon as possible.”

“We commend each of these distinguished Congress Members for asking the Obama Administration to increase its AIDS funding in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget and do what is needed to fully resolve the crisis affecting ADAP that threatens the health, well-being—and lives—of thousands of Americans living with HIV/AIDS,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “On the heels of the President’s announcement of his National AIDS Strategy early this summer, AHF was also heartened to see these Representatives also point out the importance of allocating sufficient funding and support now to ensure the ultimate success of that plan.”

The Congress Members also cited the fact that the next International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington in 2012 (the first time the conference will be held in the United States in 22 years), noting that “...the eyes of the world will be on us as we work to implement our New National AIDS Strategy and combat our own HIV/AIDS epidemic. The ultimate success of these efforts will be determined by the extent of our willingness to provide the necessary funding and support to successfully carry out these initiatives now.”

“We would like to also thank Representative Barbara Lee for spearheading this request and letter and also Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida, who has worked diligently over the past year to try and resolve the ADAP funding crisis that now threatens the lives of over two thousand vulnerable Floridians by forcing them on to waiting lists for their lifesaving AIDS medications,” said Tom Myers, Chief of Public Affairs and General Counsel for AHF. “Special mention and praise is also given to the six California Representatives who joined this effort by signing the letter. While California does not yet face a crisis with its own ADAP, these Congress Members are putting national interests and prudent public health policies above local concerns by speaking out loudly and clearly on this matter now.”

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 140,000 individuals in 23 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. www.aidshealth.org