Howard Dean statement commemorating World AIDS Day

DNC: DNC: Howard Dean Marks World AIDS Day

12/1/2005 12:15:00 PM
To: National Desk, Political Reporter, Health Reporter

Contact: Damien LaVera of Democratic National Committee, 202-863-8148

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement in commemorating World AIDS Day:

"World AIDS Day is a day for all Americans to stand shoulder to shoulder with the global community in honoring the more than 20 million lives that have been claimed by one of the worst pandemics in history. For more than two decades, HIV/AIDS has brought unparalleled loss and tragedy to so many communities and families in this country and around the world.

"Sadly, the pandemic continues unabated. Each day, 14,000 people join the ranks of the infected, adding to the more than 40 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS, including more than one million in the United States alone. Today, I join all Americans in remembering those we have lost, in standing shoulder to shoulder with those living with this disease, and in renewing our commitment to finding a cure.

"In keeping with this year's World AIDS Day theme, 'Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise,' I call on President Bush to honor the commitments he made to ending this terrible disease. The Bush White House has talked a big game on fighting AIDS, but has consistently shortchanged the President's initiatives and stood in the way of important global efforts to curb this disease.

"America can do better than a President who breaks his promise on a matter as important as AIDS. President Bush should join Democrats in fighting to end this tragedy, first by providing all of the money he pledged in 2003 and then by standing up to his friends in the pharmaceutical industry who are stonewalling an agreement to provide generic medicines to poor and developing countries."

The following is a fact sheet from DNC Research on President Bush's broken promises on combating the global AIDS pandemic:

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 US trade negotiators in the talks. (Washington Post, 8/31/03; Wall Street Journal, 7/6/04)

Bush Shortchanges Global HIV/AIDS Fight Three Years In A Row. In 2005, 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 create 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 US support of the Fund by 43 percent, his fiscal year 2005 budget tried to cut US support by 64 percent, and his 2006 budget tried to cut US 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 US 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 US's failure to address the global AIDS crisis. (Washington Post, 7/9/04)

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