The AIDS Blockade Posted on July 2nd
NOT LONG AGO, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was holding up a Senate vote on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a life-saving program that enjoys wide bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and that President Bush justly regards as one of his brightest achievements. Mr. Coburn and six fellow Republicans were upset that a proposed five-year extension of the program did not require that 55 percent of PEPFAR money go to treating people with HIV-AIDS — as opposed to being spent to prevent new infections and for other purposes. Mr. Coburn’s objection sounds reasonable, except that expert reviews of the program have determined that it is more efficient to let PEPFAR country teams spend the money according to actual need rather than blindly adhering to a congressional earmark. After negotiations with Democrats, Mr. Coburn compromised: At least half of U.S. bilateral aid must go to medical care, but care is defined expansively. He has dropped his objections to moving the bill.
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