Senate Agrees on Global AIDS Bill

The largest federal health initiative in the history of the United States Senate may actually happen due to a decision made in Washington on Wednesday. The global AIDS proposal demands a 50 billion dollar budget in order to combat the deadly disease, along with malaria and tuberculosis in places like Africa and other countries in dire need of resources.

This agreement between senate negotiators will allow senate members a chance to vote on “ a 5-year bill that would more than triple the size of the 15 billion global AIDS bill that Congress, at the urging of President Bush, passed in 2003.” (AP) That bill ends this September. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes the agreement will be made before the president’s G-8 Summit next week in Japan, sending an international message that America is committed to the global disease crisis.

The bill is currently being questioned, as there are varying opinions on how the budget should be utilized. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, also a medical doctor, argues part of the funding should go to treatment programs. Others argue those caregivers distributing the medicine on the ground would be more suitable to divvy up the money. But Coburn has insisted this could lead to corruption.

Democratic Senator (and former presidential candidate) welcomes the agreement, stating, “It is our moral obligation to lead the effort to fight these diseases.” Both presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain support the bill.

Still many members of the senate are concerned with the bill, especially Republicans who have qualms with the 50 billion dollar budget. But negotiators will keep pushing in order to have the proposal ready in time for the summit to hopefully, if anything, boost our damaged intercontinental rep.