PEPFAR’s Senate Progress
July 16th, 2008 at 11:39 am | posted by Josh Chernila, ONE Online Communities Coordinator
Yesterday, two amendments which would have limited the scope of PEPFAR Re authorization were overwhelmingly defeated.
The first, sponsored by Senator DeMint would have limited the countries to which PEPFAR assistance could be distributed:
The Senate voted, 70-24, to table, or kill, the amendment from Jim DeMint , R-S.C., to limit the five-year, $50 billion bill to 15 poor countries where it already operates.
The second, sponsored by Senator Bunning, was defeated even more resoundingly:
Sen. Jim Bunning’s (R-Ky.) amendment to reauthorize the program for five years at $15 billion also failed by a vote of 16-80.
Senators Sam Brownback, and Hillary Clinton were among the Senate champions taking the floor yesterday in support of PEPFAR reauthorization and in opposition to the failed amendments. Senators Joe Biden and Dick Lugar have been shepherding the bill through the Senate.
The $50 billion PEPFAR re-authorization bill keeps the core intent of the universally acclaimed President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and expands the amount of funding and breadth of distribution. By providing over 2.1 Million with life-saving retroviral treatment, PEPFAR has been responsible for giving an entire generation a second chance at life, and saved millions of children from the challenges of living without parents.
ONE members nationwide have been calling in to their Senators’ offices in overwhelming numbers to declare their support of PEPFAR Re authorization at the $50 billion level and to declare their opposition to any proceedural measures which could derail this critical, life-saving bill.
No one can be certain about how any bill will fare in the US Senate, but if yesterday’s proceedings are an indication there’s good reason to be optimistic.
Click here, to register your phone calls and keep up the pressure. Things look promising, but there’s a long way to go.
