A bill was filed last night asking for a $1.3 billion increase in AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis funding for 2007 - a full $300 million more than the $1 billion increase ONE members urged for over the last two months. If the bill passes, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis funding would be $4.5 billion in 2007.

Money and increases are extremely tight in the 2007 budget, and without pressure from this community - without ONE members' over 200,000 letters, emails, phone calls and faxes - it's very realistic that that this funding never would not have been recovered. At a critical moment, however, ONE members came together and showed our representatives that Americans don't just care about extreme poverty, but we pay attention and we act. Without exaggeration, your actions could end up saving hundreds of thousands of lives in the world's poorest countries.

Nothing is a done deal until the bill passes both houses of Congress. A House vote is scheduled for tomorrow and a Senate vote is set for February 5. We will keep you posted on the ONE Blog on vote times and outcomes.