January 28, 2002

On February 4th, President Bush intends to submit a $200 million (USD) budget request as a contribution to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. The President's 2003 budget request is the same as last year's widely criticized 2002 request, and $100 million _less_ the $300 million given by US congress for '02.

"The Fund, hobbled from the start by the original meager US contribution, is now being asphyxiated by President Bush. President Bush has decided to kill the Global fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria during the week of its first board meeting," said Paul Davis of the Health GAP Coalition. The fund was put in place by a transitional working group operating since the G8 conference in Genoa last year. The first meeting of the board is taking place Jan 28 and 29 in Geneva.

"The President's message to people with is simple: 'drop dead'," reports Health GAP's Asia Russell. "Tax cuts for the wealthy? Billions of pork disguised as 'stimulus' for corporations? Bottomless military spending? No problem for President Bush. Bush is unwilling to make cost-effective security investments of money for medicine for a continent in jeopardy."

States Davis: "This week, while the Global Fund has its first board meeting, President Bush will sabotage this best hope for providing treatment for 8,000 people with HIV who die every day without medicines. This small contribution to the Global Fund will mean that other donors will follow the U.S. Lead, reducing already meager contributions and cutting the fund off at the knees."

This sabotage of the global fund comes after:

...months of quiet claims of at least $700 million from the White House;

...a unanimous vote in the House of Representatives in December authorizing $750 million for the global fund, initiated by Henry Hyde;

...a Senate budget resolution last year calling for for $700 million this year year, initiated by Senator Bill Frist [R-TN];

...months of promises from President Bush and Colin Powell in the media that the shameful original $200 million contribution was simply a "down payment."

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