Adminstration to Cut Pledge to the Global Fund

Bush Administration Poised to Cut $69 Million from U.S. Contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

In Brief:

Congress appropriated $547 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for 2004, but required that other countries match our contribution two-to-one.

The Global Fund is highly efficient in funding programs that are treating AIDS, curing TB and malaria, and preventing the spread of these diseases.

The Bush administration is poised to cut more than $69 million of the $547 million because some of the matching money pledged by Italy, Japan, and other countries will arrive after an arbitrary September date.

Taking back this $69 million could mean 25,000 people who will not receive treatment and 100,000 new cases of AIDS around the world that will not be prevented through Global Fund programs.

Additional Facts
The deadline of September 30 was designed not as a hard deadline, but the date on which U.S. Global AIDS Czar Randall Tobias takes authority over the remaining allocation not yet matched. At the discretion of Tobias, pledges from other countries which have not yet been received can be counted as part of a two-to-one matching scheme.

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi has personally committed that monies from Italy are on the way, but firm pledges from Italy, Japan and other donors probably won’t be counted unless we demand it . (Italy’s payment is delayed due to European Union spending restrictions under the Growth and Stability Pact, not because of a lack of commitment to the Fund. In fact, Prime Minister Berlusconi personally instructed that the money be paid urgently.)

Europe has already provided more than half of the Global Fund’s money and the U.S. would end up giving less than one-third if Tobias holds back the $69 million. Arbitrary rules may allow $69 million to be cut from the Global Fund for 2004 and undermine good-faith efforts by our allies to support this multilateral mechanism.

There is increasing international support for the Global Fund. Last year, all U.S. funds were matched. Other donors have responded to the U.S. two-to-one challenge scheme by working faster to match U.S. commitments this year. This year, pledges were matched more quickly than last year’s even though many donors struggle to work within the arbitrary timeframe of the U.S. fiscal year.

The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is also a beneficial program that compliments the efforts of the Global Fund, but it benefits only 14 countries and is not as nimble as the Global Fund in funding effective programs ready to scale up.

Action! Call the White House on Tuesday October 12, 2004
Call (202) 456-1111 before 5 pm ET

What you can say (short version — use your own words if possible):
Hello, my name is ___________ and I’m calling from (state).

I understand that the Bush administration is considering withholding $69 million from the $547 that Congress appropriated for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for Fiscal Year 2004, on grounds that the two-to-one match required in law has not been met.

But pledges from Italy, Japan, and other countries will meet the match before the end of 2004.

This $69 million would provide treatment for 25,000 people and prevent 100,000 new cases of AIDS around the world.

Therefore, please fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria at the full $547 million provided by law, and do not withhold any portion of this amount.

What you can say (longer version — use your own words if possible):
Hello, my name is ___________ and I’m calling from (state).

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is the single most powerful force against AIDS, TB and malaria. Colin Powell has said AIDS is “more devastating than any terrorist attack, any conflict or any weapon of mass destruction.”

Fighting these diseases is therefore an important part of the war on terror. And yet, there are hints that the U.S. global AIDS czar, Randall Tobias, is poised to cut more than $69 million from funds already approved by Congress for the Global Fund because of an arbitrary September 30 deadline that some donor countries are unable to meet.

I urge President Bush to ensure that this does not happen. Taking back this $69 million could mean 25,000 people who will not receive treatment and 100,000 new cases of AIDS around the world that will not be prevented through Global Fund programs.

AIDS, TB and malaria are weapons of mass destruction. The Global Fund is operating in 128 countries to stop and reverse their devastating effects. This life-saving work must not lose momentum. Please, do not use arbitrary deadlines to undermine this multilateral effort to save lives.

After you speak to the White House operator, you can say, “And there is someone else here who wishes to speak,” and pass the phone to someone else. This person can deliver a full talk or just say “I agree with what s/he just said.”

You can also fax your message to (202) 456-2461 or e-mail president@whitehouse.gov.

Courtesy of
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 910
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912 USA
Tel (301) 270-1182 Fax: (301) 270-2052
www.genderhealth.org

An AIDS question

Gwen Ifill (host): I will talk to you about health care, Mr. Vice President. You have two minutes. But in particular, I want to talk to you about AIDS, and not about AIDS in China or Africa, but AIDS right here in this country, where black women between the ages of 25 and 44 are 13 times more likely to die of the disease than their counterparts. What should the government's role be in helping to end the growth of this epidemic?"

From the transcript of the vice presidential debate.

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