{"id":141780,"date":"2018-11-29T07:57:02","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T12:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/us\/?post_type=one_press&p=141780"},"modified":"2018-11-29T07:57:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T12:57:02","slug":"congress-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-reauthorize-pepfar-americas-signature-global-aids-program","status":"publish","type":"one_press","link":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/us\/press\/congress-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-reauthorize-pepfar-americas-signature-global-aids-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress passes bipartisan bill to reauthorize PEPFAR, America\u2019s signature global AIDS program"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2013 The ONE Campaign today applauded the Senate\u2019s passage of the PEPFARExtension Act of 2018 that would reauthorize America\u2019s signature global AIDS program through 2023. The bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives, now heads to the President\u2019s desk where he is expected to sign it into law.<\/span><\/p>\n

When PEPFAR first launched in 2004, roughly 375,000 people in critical countries were receiving treatment. Today, PEPFAR provides life-saving HIV\/AIDS treatment to roughly 14 million people. 2.4 million babies have been born HIV-free to HIV-positive mothers as a result of the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Hart, North America executive director at The ONE Campaign:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhen President George W. Bush launched PEPFAR 15 years ago, 5,000 people were dying from AIDS every day and another 7,000 people were being infected with HIV. PEPFAR\u2019s transformative impact on the global AIDS epidemic has been without parallel in human history, measured not only in dollars but in lives saved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, both Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, have put saving lives above politics. The passage of this bill is both a strong testament to PEPFAR\u2019s efficient, effective and transparent track record of results and the bipartisan support on which the program was founded. Representatives Chris Smith and Barbara Lee and Senators Bob Corker and Bob Menendez should be applauded for their championing of this bill, as well as the critical support from the Administration. In addition, ONE would also like to acknowledge the valuable roles that Chairman Ed Royce and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have played throughout their distinguished careers in supporting PEPFAR and the fight against AIDS.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this bill represents another positive step forward, the fight against AIDS is far from over. AIDS is not a disease of the past, it is a crisis now that claims 2,500 lives every day. PEPFAR is only as strong as the appropriations that enable the program to carry out its life-saving work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the coming months, President Trump will release his FY 2020 budget, which will send a strong signal to the rest of the world about America\u2019s commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. President Trump\u2019s budget should both contain full funding for PEPFARand maintain funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria at one-third of its total. Now is not a time for complacency. America must continue to lead the global fight against aids that we have proudly led for the past two decades.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FACTS ABOUT THE HIV\/AIDS CRISIS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n