Durbin Slams Republicans For Continuing To Delay Reauthorization Of PEPFAR

Statement

"Over the recess that just concluded, I had a chance to visit South Africa in an Aspen Institute conference to discuss the future of that continent. With so much of the world's attention on Ukraine… and the Middle East, as it should be, we often forget the importance of this dynamic and challenging African continent with nearly one out of five of the world's population, a percentage that will increase greatly this century. During my time in Congress, I've tried to advance several efforts to foster more engagement in Africa, including support for funding to address AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through the Global Fund and PEPFAR as well as mobility programs, clean water, and sanitation. In fact, Chicago-based World Bicycle Relief is helping lead some of the most innovative mobility programs that help get kids to school and health care workers to visit rural remote areas.
I didn't agree with President George W. Bush on many things, but I want to give him credit for making the United States a leader in stemming the HIV/AIDS pandemic in some of the poorest parts of the world, including Africa.President George W. Bush's response was known as PEPFAR... It worked. PEPFAR and its companion effort, the Global Fund, dramatically curtailed the AIDS epidemic ravaging many parts of the world, including much of Africa, saving more than 25 million lives.

It is bewildering to me. I can't understand this. We're presently engaged in a political debate on Capitol Hill as to whether PEPFAR was a good program. Extremists are arguing that we shouldn't reauthorize this historic lifesaving program when people are still dependent on these drugs to survive from day to day and week to week

President Bush wrote an op-ed urging PEPFAR reauthorization in theWashington Post in which he quoted his late speechwriter and PEPFAR champion Michael Gerson as follows, ‘What definition of pro-life does not include saving millions of lives from preventable disease and death?’” Durbin said. “Bush went on to note, ‘We are on the verge of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. To abandon our commitment now would forfeit two decades of unimaginable progress and rather further questions about the worth of America’s words.’

I agree, and call on my Republican friends to help reauthorize this historic, bipartisan lifesaving effort without any further delay."

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