Right now, Representatives Barbara Lee, Tom Lantos, and Donald M. Payne are circulating a “Dear Colleague letter asking President Bush to fully fund poverty-fighting aid in his 2008 budget request, saying:

“Despite greatly expanded efforts to address HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, all three diseases continue to grow and continue to kill in staggering numbers – with 6 million deaths attributed to these three diseases last year alone. Need based estimates indicate that nearly $30 billion is required in 2008 to provide prevention, care and treatment for these global pandemics. The United States has been a leader in addressing these three diseases, but the scale of these pandemics requires that we do even more.”

The letter requests $7.69 billion for the president’s fiscal year 2008 budget request, specifically, $5.1 billion for AIDS, $1.4 billion for the Global Fund, $750 million for tuberculosis and $440 million for malaria.

So far, 56 representatives have signed on. If you don’t see your representative’s name, call and ask him or her to sign the Dear Colleague letter asking President Bush to fully fund poverty-fighting aid in his 2008 budget request.

The deadline to sign is today.

Representatives who have signed the “2008 Budget HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Dear Colleague letter:”

1. Allen (D- ME)
2. Berkley (D – NV)
3. Berman (D – CA)
4. Blumenauer (D – OR)
5. C. Brown (D – FL)
6. Butterfield (D – NC)
7. Capps (D – CA)
8. Carnahan (D – MO)
9. Carson (D – IN)
10. Christensen ( D – Virgin Islands)
11. Crowley (D – NY)
12. Cummings (D – MD)
13. S. Davis (D – CA)
14. Delahunt (D – MA)
15. Fattah (D – PA)
16. A. Green (D – TX)
17. G. Green (D – TX)
18. Grijalva (D – AZ)
19. Gutierrez (D – IL)
20. Hare (D – IL)
21. Hastings (R- WA)
22. Holt (D – NJ)
23. Jefferson (D – LA)
24. EB Johnson (R – CT)
25. Lantos (D – CA)
26. Larsen ( – CT)
27. Lee (D – CA)
28. John Lewis (D – GA)
29. Lipinski (D – IL)
30. Lofgren (D – CA)
31. Maloney (D -NY)
32. McDermott (D – WA)
33. McGovern (D – MA)
34. Matsui (D – CA)
35. Michaud (D – ME)
36. Millender-McDonald (D – CA)
37. G. Moore (D – WI)
38. Nadler (D – NY)
39. Olver (D – MA)
40. Pastor (D – AZ)
41. Payne (D – NJ)
42. Rangel (D – NY)
43. Rothman (D – NJ)
44. Linda Sanchez (D – CA)
45. Schakowsky (D – IL)
46. Schwartz (D – PA)
47. Shea-Porter (D – NH)
48. A. Sires (D – NJ)
49. Solis (D – CA)
50. Stark (D – CA)
51. Waters (D – CA)
52. Watson (D- CA)
53. Waxman (D – CA)
54. Wexler (D – FL)
55. Woolsey (D – CA)
56. Wynn (D – MD)