Rep. Hank Johnson Votes to Fight Disease Abroad

Press Release

Congressman Hank Johnson today voted for H.R.5501, a compromise bill which provides assistance to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other critical conditions abroad. The legislation, which has the support of Foreign Affairs Acting Chairman Howard Berman and the White House, authorizes $50 billion in appropriations for fiscal years 2009 - 2013. The bill eliminates the abstinence-only provisions which have restricted needed HIV/AIDS funding and it supports a change in programming toward sustainability.

"The HIV/AIDS epidemic is on the rise. And the countries that need help the most have been hog-tied with rules that diminish success," said Rep. Johnson. "This new legislation lifts several burdens on these programs so that they can address the realities there on the ground without risking the funding that is so desperately needed. Abstinence is one of many strategies to fight the spread of this disease, but abstinence should not be the primary tool in the toolbox." Currently, 33% of all HIV global prevention funds must be spent on abstinence.

H.R. 5501 funding will direct more HIV/AIDS programming to women and girls of child-bearing age, will strengthen health systems in countries devastated by the HIV virus, encourages linkages with food and nutrition, and education programs, and it promotes the use of additional prevention models. For the first time, for example, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services can be incorporated in family planning programs supported with U.S. funding. The new bill also mandates that the Administration submit a progress report to Congress based on funding expenditures.

"I vigorously support this bill because I believe that we are our neighbor's keeper. Extreme poverty is a reality particularly in areas like sub-Saharan Africa where an estimated 313 million people barely survive on less than $1 a day. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of undernourishment in the world and has been devastated by drought and rampant disease," said Rep. Johnson. "Worldwide, malaria causes around 350 to 500 million illnesses and more than one million deaths yearly. In Africa, malaria kills a child every 30 seconds. This funding is critical to global stability for we recognize that poverty and disease are clearly bound."

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