Leahy Statement on Gore Announcement of New AIDS in Africa Initiative
To: National Desk
Contact: David Carle of the Office of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, 202-224-3693; Web site: http://www.senate.gov/~leahy
WASHINGTON, July 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
Comment of Sen. Patrick Leahy on Vice President Gore's Announcement of a New AIDS in Africa Initiative Monday, July 19, 1999
(Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which has responsibility for drafting the annual Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, funding foreign assistance programs and other foreign policy activities. In the bill for Fiscal Year 2000, which passed the Senate June 30, Leahy included a provision that bolstered funding to support international efforts to combat HIV/AIDS by increasing the U.S. contribution to $150 million from $125 million -- a level where it has remained frozen since 1993 -- in a year when overall foreign assistance in the bill has been drastically cut by Congress. A separate global infectious diseases initiative led by Leahy, also included in the bill, is about to enter its third year.)
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"For too long, Congress, the administration and many other governments have had their heads in the sand about AIDS. This is not just any epidemic. It is a catastrophe that dwarfs in human suffering anything the world has faced since World War II.
"This announcement is enormously important because of the additional resources that will be mustered in this fight and because of the message it sends. It reflects the fact that, as tragic as AIDS is and even without a vaccine, there are ways that we can sharply reduce the number of new infections. If this is the first installment in a multi-year effort, and if other countries increase their contributions, it will save millions of lives."
-0- /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ 07/19 16:59
Copyright 1999, U.S. Newswire
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