FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2008
Contact: Samantha Sitrin, ACT UP Philadelphia – 215-870-7741
Hundreds of angry AIDS activists deliver backbone to “spineless” McCain, Obama, Reid and McConnell, protesting inaction on landmark global AIDS bill
Thurs June 26, 2008 • Noon • Stanton Park (4th and C NE) • March to each Senate office bearing giant spines.
WASHINGTON, DC- Hundreds of activists, angry at Senate leadership and Presidential hopefuls due to a stalled global health bill, will descend on Capitol Hill to deliver a giant spine to Senators Reid, McConnell, Obama and McCain on June 26, 2006. Although there are more than 60 Senate supporters, a small number led by Sen. Coburn (R, OK) have placed a hold on the bill, proposing to flat-fund the program while earmarking the majority of funds for treatment. According to activists, the Senate leadership and the Presidential candidates are not taking the necessary action to pass the Hyde/Lantos U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (S. 2731). The bill commits $50 billion over five years to continue the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
“During the largest health crisis in history, the House and Senate crafted a bipartisan compromise that would continue the U.S. global AIDS program. But Senate leadership lacks the spine to stand up to one deadly Senator who is blocking the way to saving millions of lives,” said ACT UP member José de Marco. “We’ve come to bring Reid and McConnell their missing backbones so they can stand up to Coburn.”
On Thursday 19 June, Senator Reid called for a compromise to be reached between Coburn and negotiators in Sen. Biden and Lugar’s office by Tuesday June 24 so the bill can be brought for a vote – possibly before July recess. Activists welcomed this step, but cautioned that key life-saving provisions should not be removed in an effort to quickly pass the bill. “If Sen. Reid at least schedules the vote before the recess begins, and ensures that the bill will remain uncompromised, then we will celebrate the impending passage of the legislation in Washington,” continued de Marco. “But, as of now, Reid has not scheduled a vote, and we are still coming to deliver a spine to Sen. Reid so he will have the backbone to stand up to Sen. Coburn and pass the bill intact.”
The protesters were calling for passage of the PEPFAR reauthorization bill before the G8 meeting that will begin on July 7th. “Senate leaders must not send President Bush to the G8 empty-handed, when there is already a widely supported bill which would leverage billions more from the other world leaders,” said ACT UP member Samantha Sitrin. “The United States sets the pace of contributions to fight global AIDS. If Reid and McConnell don’t send a clear signal that this program will continue beyond President Bush’s term, we risk other countries scaling back efforts to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well.”
On a media conference call on 18 June, the Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu echoed this point. “When the United States takes the action that is being suggested, that will generate more specific country commitments,” he said. “I plead to the leaders, the members of the congress, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the future, expedite the passing of the relevant legislation,” Rev. Tutu concluded.
Kenya’s new Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in a public forum attended by the media in Washington on 17 June called for rapid passage of the bill, “We are very grateful to the U.S. for the assistance that it has given the Kenyan government, particularly in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It has produced very tangible results, as you have seen when new infections declined very substantially last year as a result of this very successful campaign. We would like to see this program continued -- and also expanded. And therefore, whoever is campaigning for scaling it down or for canceling it is actually doing a great disservice to the people of Kenya.”
“Sen. Reid is allowing himself to be walked over by one Republican senator. As the Majority Leader, he needs to stand up to this deadly behavior and use the tools he has to force a vote,” said Rev. Jeffery Jordan-Pickett of ACT UP Philadelphia.
Activists are also holding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accountable for the lack of action on PEPFAR. “President Bush has made fighting AIDS a priority, and the White House has called for passage of this bill before the G8 Summit. But Sen. McConnell is upholding the “right” of one marginal senator to derail this critical bill, which has won support from the entire political spectrum,” said ACT UP member Hannah Zellman. “Senator McConnell has the power to push this bill through, it’s as simple as that. Millions of people with HIV worldwide are waiting for action.”
“In spite of a call for bipartisanship in Washington by both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain, neither has done all that is needed to break the hold on this lifesaving piece of legislation. In fact, most egregiously, Sen. McCain’s ally and campaign surrogate, Sen. Tom Coburn, is the one person holding up the PEPFAR bill,” said Kate Kozeniewski from ACT UP. “If the presidential candidates were truly committed to bipartisanship and change, they would be using their power as leaders in their respective parties to pass the PEPFAR reauthorization bill over Coburn’s irresponsible hold.”
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