McCain is puzzled about PEPFAR details

At a town hall meeting in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Sen. John McCain said he would "look into" talking to his Senate buddy Tom Coburn (R-OK), one of the seven Republican senators holding hostage the reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The presumptive Republican nominee also admitted he was "not really familiar" with the current reauthorization bill, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. The legislation would expand U.S. funding for HIV/AIDS to $50 billion over five years. McCain's response was reported in the Philadelphia Daily News.

"I was disappointed McCain didn't know more about this battle," said Health GAP organizer Kaytee Riek, who asked McCain to speak to Coburn at the town hall. "It's out there, and very public senior members of the Senate and surrogates of McCain's are blocking the bill." While President Bush views the PEPFAR reauthorization as his legacy, the next president is going to be the one to oversee and implement it. That knowledge means that McCain and Sen. Barack Obama's opinions are immensely important to their respective party's Congresspeople.

Although the PEPFAR reauthorization passed 308 to 116 in the House in March, Coburn and allies Jim DeMint (D-SC), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), David Vitter (R-LA), Jim Bunning (R-KY) and Richard Burr (R-NC) are consciously delaying the vote in the Senate, complaining that the life-saving program is too expensive. The bill needs to pass before the G8 summit on July 7 in order to pressure other countries into increasing their contributions to fighting AIDS, TB and malaria.

On a side note, McCain's staffer also said the candidate would "look into" lifting the federal immigration ban on people with HIV/AIDS that is included in the PEPFAR reauthorization.

All Hands on Deck

Global AIDS activists are pulling out all the stops to make sure that the historic PEPFAR 2 bill makes it through Congress -- especially since the newly foul economic climate could hamper future attempts to pass $50 billion for AIDS. MoveOn.org sent 15,000 signatures asking legislators to pass the bill, and the ONE Campaign already delivered approximately 45,000. Health GAP is helping organize a new series of actions to hold Congress accountable.

Contact Kaytee Riek at kaytee@healthgap.org to find out how you can get involved in their efforts to put pressure on the Senate.

Call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- who can make sure seven obstructionist Senators don't block an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill -- and say "I am extremely concerned that the Global AIDS, TB and Malaria Reauthorization bill may be held up by seven Senators who are going against the overwhelming majority of Americans and Congresspeople. Will Sen. Reid make sure to push this critical legislation through the Senate in the next few weeks?" You can call Reid's office and speak to staff in D.C. at 202-224-3542.