Washington Office urges Presbyterians to ‘make enough noise’ over health funding
By Craig M. Kibler, Staff Writer, January 26, 2007
The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is urging Presbyterians to “make enough noise” to increase funding “that we fought for and nearly won” for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs around the world.
In its latest “Action Alert” e-mail sent throughout the country, the Washington Office criticizes 2007 federal funding for these programs as being at the same level it was in 2006.
“Congress had been poised to provide higher funding for global AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in 2007 compared to 2006,” the e-mail states. “However, Congress failed to give final approval to these increases before adjourning for the year and instead decided to simply keep funding in 2007 at the same level as 2006, using continuing resolutions.”
Contradicting its own words that the 2007 funding had not received final approval, the e-mail urges Presbyterians to contact their senators and representatives, saying they “need to hear from you to maintain 2007 funding for global AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria funding.”
“If we make enough noise,” the e-mail states, “we can reverse this loss! Congress will revisit the matter this month and consider increases for particular programs.”
The e-mail goes on to again urge Presbyterians to e-mail members of Congress and say, “Restore $1 billion in funding for global AIDS, TB and malaria programs as well as programs for orphaned and vulnerable children!”
The “Action Alert” then offers this explanation for the continuing resolution that has sustained funding for these programs at the 2006 level:
“A continuing resolution is usually a temporary, stop-gap measure. The new Congress could seek to pass the individual spending bills for fiscal year 2007 and send them to the president.
“However,” the e-mail states, “the incoming leadership has decided not to do this. Instead, they will craft a new continuing resolution, which they are calling a ‘joint funding resolution,’ that will carry forward the 2006 funding levels into 2007. Some increases will be allowed, based on an assessment of needs conducted at the departmental and agency level, but only a small amount is available for these increases.
“This could mean that the increases in funding to save lives around the globe that we fought for and nearly won in 2006 could be lost. Such a loss would stall AIDS treatment and prevention, even as the world is working to provide universal access by 2010. It would also put the recently launched Malaria Initiative on hold. Losing this funding would undermine the response to extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), which is now spreading globally, and undercut important programs to help orphaned and vulnerable children.”
As part of the “Action Alert,” the Washington Office has provided what it calls a “sample message” that Presbyterians can use in e-mails to their senators and representatives. It reads as follows:
“I am alarmed at the proposed continuing resolution, which could keep funding for global AIDS and other health programs at 2006 levels. This will mean a massive loss in momentum in the fight against pandemic diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Keeping funding at 2006 levels means AIDS treatment programs and prevention programs, as well as care for orphans and vulnerable children, will be stalled. New malaria programs will be devastated. Programs to fight extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis will also be stalled, even as this very dangerous infection spreads.
“For instance, in the Senate, the funding for global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs was set at $4.36 billion for fiscal year 2007. But, by simply continuing the fiscal year 2006 funding, Congress will provide only $3.43 billion. That would be a loss of $930 million!
“That is why I urge you to prioritize a $1 billion increase for global AIDS, TB and malaria programs in the new continuing resolution the Congress will consider. The U.S. especially needs to preserve $700 million for the ‘Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria’ because the U.S. contribution is matched by other donors on a two-to-one basis.
“Since this matter will be negotiated soon, please contact congressional leadership about this as soon as possible, and please let me know where you stand on this critical issue.”
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications for the Presbyterian Lay Committee and Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@www.layman.org.