Washington, DC - Rep. Towns today joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives in support of landmark legislation that will extend and expand a key initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around the globe.  The Lantos-Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization was approved by a vote of 308-116.

“Since 1981, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, 20 million men, women and children around the world have lost their lives from the disease, with nearly three-quarters of these fatalities occurring in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Rep. Towns.  “It is more important now than ever that we take initiative to fight back against this epidemic, with approximately 40 million HIV-positive individuals in the world, and a growing infection rate of an additional 6,000 people each day."

In May 2003, on a bipartisan basis, Congress enacted the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act (PL 108-25) – authorizing $15 billion over five years for U.S. contributions to both bilateral and multilateral efforts.  It was based on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which he unveiled in January 2003.  Over the last five years, this program has been critical, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, this program has provided life-saving drugs to almost 1.5 million AIDS patients and promoted successful programs to prevent the spread of the HIV infection.

This bill reauthorizes and expands this key initiative over the next five years – authorizing $50 billion.  It is a carefully-crafted bipartisan compromise worked out between House Democrats, House Republicans, and the Bush Administration.

In the first five years of the U.S. response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, U.S. policy was driven by the urgency of an emergency response.  Under this bill, the U.S. will develop and implement strategies to transition from the emergency phase to long-term sustainability that can be maintained by the host countries. 

The bill’s goals include:  by 2013, preventing 12 million new HIV infections; providing life-saving drugs for 3 million AIDS patients; providing medical and nonmedical care for 12 million people (including 5 million orphans); and training 140,000 new health care workers.

“Back in 2003, my colleagues and I in Congress launched this important program that was proposed by the Bush Administration with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Towns.  “I am pleased that today, with continuing bipartisan support, Congress has agreed to renew and expand the program over the next five years.  The United States is demonstrating its moral leadership by initiating this global effort to work diligently in treating and preventing HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria and ultimately striving to eradicate these diseases entirely.”

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