I have the unfortunate job of sharing some disappointing news about global AIDS funding this morning.
We needed “Unanimous Consent” (or “UC”) to keep PEPFAR reauthorization moving in a timely and bi-partisan fashion. This means that every member on the Senate floor had to agree to the proposed legislation.
Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for UC for PEPFAR twice this morning: Once with no amendments, and a second time with 4 amendments (2 from the Republican side and 2 from the Democratic side.) Both attempts failed to pass.
This means we now have no choice but to look to push for PEPFAR reauthorization after Congress’s scheduled recess.
This legislation is critical to millions of lives, and this means that President Bush will have a more difficult time pressuring other wealthy countries to follow the U.S.’s leadership and give more to global AIDS when he attends the July G8 summit in Japan.
Earlier in the week we were hopeful after Sen. Reid set a deadline for the completion of negotiations, with the intent of calling for UC and a vote on this important legislation. We do know that the major differences with Sen. Coburn have been addressed and that he has lifted his hold on the bill. Unfortunately not all the senators have come to an agreement yet – 3 in particular have maintained their holds and a 4th objected on the floor.
We are hopeful that negotiations will continue through the July 4th recess and that the momentum we built through the last few weeks will continue, culminating in a vote soon after the Senate comes back into session.
We will keep you updated with more analysis and plans. As ONE members, we have to be prepared to take action the next chance we get. The people who need this funding don’t have a voice in America’s legislative system – but we do.
Sometimes it is hard to see how US policy impacts the world. I just got back from a trip to Kenya that helped me to realize just how important US policy can be to the world’s poor. In Ukwala, Kenya, a rural village in Western Kenya, I worked with a clinic that is set to receive a $1.4 million grant from USAID that comes from PEPFAR (The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).
I got home and had an email in my inbox about the PEPFAR funding being in jeopardy and my heart broke. I just met people that will be benefiting tremendously from this legislation. Among them was one of the most inspiring people I have met: Collins is disabled from the waist down. He gets around by a hand-pedaled bike. He doesn’t have HIV/AIDS, but 1 out of 10 people in his area do. He is a member of an AIDS Support Group, because he wants the message of prevention to reach the disabled population, a group that is normally ignored. He is one of the smartest people I have met.
Because of a possible decision by some powerful Congresspeople in DC, millions of lives are at risk. We can’t let that happen. We can join Collins and stand up for our brothers in sisters living with AIDS. Keep updated on PEPFAR funding by checking this blog. You can also learn more on the ONE and DATA sites and take action here.
Based on a comment made by Reid a couple hours ago, we hope to see an agreement in the next 24 hours. (Once some key senators are able to craft this agreement, the Senate should be able to move passed the current obstructions and onto the next step in the reauthorization process.) We expect to know more tomorrow, and will let you know when we do.
Reid’s comments from a 2pm press conference today:
“The global AIDS bill, the PEPFAR — I spoke to Senator Biden before lunch today. He asked me if I could wait for another 24 hours before I brought a unanimous consent request to pass this. He said almost all the problems are worked out.
I hope that’s the case. It’s something we need to do. It is important.
The president said he wants it. Now we’ve got to get folks on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans, to join with the president on this.”
Just a few moments ago Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke of movement on PEPFAR during his morning remarks. I transcribed his comments below.
We are hopeful that negotiations are moving forward, but the agreement is not yet complete. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
Reid:
“We also are going to bring before the body within the next 24 hours the PEPFAR legislation. What is that? It’s the AIDS legislation that the president is in favor of and we’ve been trying to move.
It’s been held up on the other side by a senator or two.
And we are hope that we can complete that. Again I will ask consent that that be passed today.
It’s my understanding having spoken to Senator Enzi that he and Senator Biden have worked something out on that and hopefully the senator on the other side who’s objected to this will no longer object to it.”
A great NYT editorial on PEPFAR’s stall in the Senate:
Unfortunately, the Senate’s version of the bill, which was approved by the Foreign Relations Committee in a 18-to-3 vote, has bogged down in procedural uncertainties. A group of seven Republican senators, led by Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, has placed a hold on the bill unless their concerns are met…
These objections are unpersuasive….Mr. Coburn wants to ensure that the bulk of the American money goes for treatments that will save lives. But earmarking a specific percentage of funds to be spent on particular activities hampers the flexibility and effectiveness of the program, according to both the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the Government Accountability Office…
The bill is currently stalled because Senate leaders seem reluctant to bring it to the floor absent an agreement that would limit debate and expedite a vote. Some advocacy groups that don’t like specific provisions would prefer to wait for a new president and Congress. But no one can be sure that, in a faltering economy, there will still be bipartisan support for a $50 billion bill next year. It would be best to pass the bill in time to strengthen the president’s hand at the G-8 summit in early July.
On Wednesday I dropped off 900 pages worth of letters to Senator Wayne Allard’s office asking the senator to become a cosponsor. The letters made quite the impression on the staff there. After dropping them off we talked at length about the type of work ONE does and the development issues we are working on.
Back in 2002 only 50,000 people were receiving ARV’s from our programs. Today, because of PEPFAR, over 2 million people are getting the life saving drugs they need. A big thanks to all the Coloradoans who stepped up and added their name to the letter as well as additional comments, it made a big impact and hopefully it will help move PEPFAR forward.
Last night Senate Majority Leader Reid issued a statement setting Tuesday, June 24, as the deadline to complete talks about PEPFAR and move the bill forward.
Some excepts from his statement:
“…Because Democrats and Republicans worked together and reached that common goal, we have had a positive impact on the lives of tens of millions of Africans. That is a tremendous start.
But the work still ahead is just as daunting as the work completed…
That is why we must renew the commitment that President Bush, Democrats and Republicans in Congress all made together in 2003. It is time to reauthorize the PEPFAR program. The House of Representatives passed the reauthorization bill by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee followed suit. President Bush and Senate Democrats strongly support this legislation.
As is the case with every compromise, the legislation is not perfect but it is a crucial next step. We stand ready to act because we know that AIDS is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem. No one owns this problem. It falls to all of us, Americans and all people of the world, to fight and beat it…
It is confounding and indefensible that a small group of Republican Senators have placed a hold on this legislation, preventing us from moving forward. They should have followed the lead of President Bush, Members of Congress from both parties, and a diverse group of world health organizations and nonprofits. They should have abandoned their obstruction long ago….
These negotiations are ongoing and we are all hopeful that we will soon have a compromise agreement. Given the importance of this legislation, I have set a deadline of next Tuesday for all parties to reach a final agreement. I want to be clear that I am committed to getting this legislation completed.”
You can read Senator Reid’s full statement after the jump. (more…)
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