Bush outlines government actions on HIV/AIDS

President Bush visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania last week, to discuss the need for providing treatment to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and to highlight the work of faith-based and community organizations as they seek to treat and care for Americans living with HIV/AIDS.

The President announced:

• Immediate availability of $20 million in new funding to deliver life-saving drugs to the men and women in the United States living with HIV/AIDS who are waiting today for HIV-related medication;
• Support for the reauthorization of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act based upon the principles of focusing Federal resources on life-extending care; ensuring flexibility to target resources to address areas of greatest need; and ensuring results;
• Second distribution of available funding for the focus countries of the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- $500 million -- will soon be on its way to organizations working in the field to provide antiretroviral therapy, promote prevention, care for orphans, and build the health system capacity in Africa and the Caribbean; and
• Vietnam as the 15th focus country in the Emergency Plan.

The President's continued commitment to combating HIV/AIDS domestically is reinforced in his budget for FY 2005 with $17.1 billion in funding for domestic AIDS research, care, prevention, and treatment -- an increase of 27% since 2001. The President has increased funding for Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from $840 million in FY 2001 to a request of $2.8 billion in FY 2005 -- which more than triples the investment since 2001