Monday, March 13, 2006

Heading to the Hill

Today, we have our lobbying visits on the hill. And we have a specific ask that needs your help, too.

The current FY2007 budget before Congress cuts in half the amount designated for the Global Fund to $300 billion - which is less than 1/3 of what is needed for the fund to be viable.

Fortunately, a bipartisan pair of senators, Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) will be introducing an ammendment as early as today to add $566 million to the Global Fund (for a total of $866 million).

Is the Global Fund worth our money? You bet! Consider this:

*The Global Fund (a multilateral initiative) is working in 130 countries – expanding prevention as well as treatment. (Compare this with the president's bilateral initiative - PEPFAR - which is doing good work but in only 15 countries)

*The Global Fund provides 3/4 of all global HIV spending, 2/3 of TB spending, 1/2 of malaria spending.

*The Global Fund has put 400,000 people on lifesaving treatment

*The Global Fund has treated one million people for TB

For more information on the Global Fund, go to http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/. More info on Global AIDS is available at http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/. Find out what ERD is doing about Global AIDS at http://www.er-d.org/programs_41310_ENG_HTM.htm

Here's what you can do:

*Call your senators RIGHT NOW and ask them to co-sponsor the Santorum-Durbin Amendment. You can find your senator's names at www.senate.gov.
Also, you can go to http://episcopal.grassroots.com/ -- and if you are a member of the Episcopal Public Policy Network it will link you to that info. And if you're not ... well you get to join!

*The capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. Just dial it and ask to speak to your Senator's office. When someone answers in the office, ask to speak to the staffer who handles foreign policy.

*Whtn the staffer answers, be simple, straightforward and specific. Say you are calling to urge your senator to co-sponsor the Santorum-Durbin Amendment to contribute an additional $566 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. This is an essential part of the president's commitment to fight global AIDS. It is also a part of our commitment to the Millennium Develoment Goals.

I've got three meetings today. Lacy Clay (my excellent MO. District 1 representative) and then our Missouri senators -- Kit Bond and Jim Talent. Only I'm sure our meetings will be with staffers and not actually with them. Then it's meetings with some great folks at National Cathedral with Cathedral College and the Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation about working with EGR ... and then home AT LAST!

Oh, and if you have a moment, click over to Neha's blog and read her reflection on the street harrassment women in India experience. It's eye-opening. |
Mike at 3/13/2006 07:57:00 AM