Bush Administration Not Making the Grade in the War on AIDS

AIDS Foundation of Chicago Among Groups Urging President Bush to Increase Funding, Leadership on AIDS

Washington, D.C. - As the newly appointed Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS meets for the first time, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and a national coalition of AIDS organizations have released a "report card," assessing the Bush Administration's handling of the AIDS crisis.

"Simply put, President Bush is not making the grade in the war on HIV/AIDS," says AFC Executive Director Mark Ishaug. "The CDC estimates that there are 950,000 HIV-infected people in the U.S., yet the Bush administration has flat-funded federal AIDS programs, essentially cutting resources for the increasing numbers of uninsured and poor people with HIV/AIDS who face rising medical care and pharmaceuticals costs."

In an accompanying letter to the President, the coalition members spell out their concerns, ranging from a lack of leadership in the fight against AIDS at home and abroad, to funding for AIDS prevention, research, and treatment programs, and filling key government healthcare positions that are vacant or will soon become vacant. The most notable positions are at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

In its assessment, the coalition commends the Administration for retaining the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. However, the coalition is concerned that some PACHA members, including several in leadership positions, have public track records of supporting HIV/AIDS policies that are at odds with science, public health experts, people living with HIV/AIDS, and community-based providers.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the coalition call on President Bush to exert his leadership by directing key officials to work together with frontline AIDS service organizations to help end the suffering caused by AIDS.

Coalition Contacts