Bush's Broken Promises On Global AIDS

Today, President Bush is posing for a photo-op on global AIDS, but President Mandela has heard Bush's promises on global AIDS before. Bush has promised $15 billion to combat the pandemic only to block efforts to provide affordable generic treatments, and try to cut funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

BUSH HAS BROKEN HIS PROMISES ON GLOBAL AIDS

144 vs. 1: Cheney Intervened to Block Generic Drugs to Poor Nations. In December 2002, the Bush administration was the sole country to reject a World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement that would allow poor nations to import drugs to help their citizens suffering from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other deadly diseases. According to the Guardian, Vice President Dick Cheney "seized the reins" from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and squashed the deal after intense lobbying from the pharmaceutical industry. In a letter to Zoellick, the deans of several major U.S. medical schools said the administration's position came, "to the detriment of millions of people suffering from diseases throughout the world." [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/02/03; The Guardian, 12/21/02; Washington Post, 12/21/02]

Bush Administration Still Delaying Introduction of Generic Drugs After Five Years. After months of stonewalling an agreement to provide generic medicines to poor and developing countries, the U.S. made concessions in August 2003 to allow a WTO agreement to take place. But in the continuing negotiations over the agreement, the U.S. is demanding exclusive access for brand-name drugs that would delay availability of cheaper generic drugs for five years. Unsurprisingly, deputy vice president Mark Grayson of the drug industry trade association PhRMA stated that they had a "collaborative relationship" with U.S. trade negotiators in the talks. [Washington Post, 8/31/03; Wall Street Journal, 7/6/04]

Bush Short of Needed Funding for Fighting Global HIV/AIDS Three Straight Years. Bush requested $2.8 billion for fighting global HIV/AIDS in 2005 and $2 billion in 2004, falling behind in his commitment to provide $15 billion over 5 years to fight HIV/AIDS worldwide. In his 2006 budget, Bush provided $3.2 billion. However, HIV/AIDS advocates say that the budget proposal "falls short" because Congress had authorized up to $3.8 billion for these programs. [CQ Today, 3/10/04, 2/2/04; Reuters, 1/22/05]

Bush Administration Slow To Distribute Funds For AIDS Initiative. In January 2003, Bush pledged to spend $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS and HIV. But the first round of grants were not announced until February 2004 - over a year later. Rather than contribute to the international Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the administration insisted on creating a new bureaucracy to oversee the unilateral Bush initiative that delayed badly need assistance. [New York Times Editorial, 2/16/04]

Bush Repeatedly Tried to Cut Funding for Global Fund to Fight AIDS. Bush's proposed budgets had twice tried to cut our support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UN lead initiative that serves more than 120 AIDS-afflicted countries (compared to the 15 targeted in Bush's bilateral initiative). His fiscal year 2004 budget tried to cut U.S. support of the Fund by 43 percent, his fiscal year 2005 budget tried to cut U.S. support by 64 percent, and his 2006 budget tried to cut U.S. support by 13 percent. These proposed cuts come at a time when international experts are reporting that the Fund's needs are dramatically increasing. [Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial, 6/23/04; American Prospect, April 2003; LA Times, 7/7/04; Kaiser Family Foundation HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet, 2/05]

Bush Administration Dramatically Reduced Participation in 2004 International AIDS Conference. The Bush administration Health and Human Services (HHS) Department cut funding for the 2004 international AIDS conference by 86 percent ($3.1 million) and reduced official participation by 187 persons (79 percent). The reduced U.S. participation forced the cancellation of dozens of presentations including many designed to train AIDS researchers in developing nations and foster international cooperation. Officials within HHS told the Washington Post that the cuts are political retaliation for an incident at the 2002 conference where AIDS activists booed Secretary of Health Thompson for the U.S.'s failure to address the global AIDS crisis. [Washington Post, 7/9/04]

MANDELA URGES U.S. TO DO MORE TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS

Mandela Cited Apathetic Approach of U.S. and Europeans In Fighting HIV/AIDS. Former South African President Nelson Mandela said HIV/AIDS has become a "forgotten issue" and warned that sustainable development is not possible without first addressing the disease. "AIDS is very important precisely because it attacks the most economically active segment of the population. It can destroy a country's economy," Mandela said. Unlike leaders in some of the nations hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, Mandela didn't single out the U.S. for an apathetic approach to the pandemic. He took European nations to task over the issue, as well. [AIDS Policy and Law, 9/27/02]

Mandela Urged Action Rather Than Just Words In The Fight Against AIDS. "Unless we are able to follow what we say by doing something practical, to deal with this situation, our eloquence is less than useless." [NPR, Weekend Edition Sunday, 7/14/02]

Mandela and Clinton Urged Leaders To Fight AIDS. Two former presidents, Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Bill Clinton of the United States, urged current heads of state and business executives to exert stronger leadership in galvanizing programs to stop the AIDS epidemic. "There is no doubt that strong leadership is the key to an effective response to the war on AIDS," Mr. Mandela said in closing the 14th International AIDS Conference. "Leadership starts at the top, and when the top person is committed, the response is much more effective," he said, his speech punctuated by repeated applause. [New York Times, 7/13/02]