AIDS 2012: US Congress and the Global AIDS Epidemic

At the International AIDS Conference 2012, on July 25, 2012, former Senator Frist (R-TN) moderated a panel of four members of Congress on “The U.S. Congress and the Global AIDS Epidemic.” The four members of Congress included Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY).

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From left to right: Congresswoman Lee, Senator Rubio, former Senator Frist, Senator Coons and Senator Enzi

Almost immediately after Senator Frist introduced the speakers, protesters entered the room, marching to the front with red umbrellas chanting “sex workers rights and human rights” and called for a repeal of PEPFAR’s anti-prostitution loyalty oath and other similar funding restrictions. Senator Frist announced that he would allow the protesting to go on for a short amount of time but would then ask the protesters to leave. Ultimately, after a few minutes, the protesters sat down in the front of the room and the panel continued.

Due to a scheduled vote in the House, Congresswoman Lee had to leave early and spoke first. She began by issuing a statement in support of the protesters, stating that drug users and sex workers need to be meaningfully included. She cited her bill, H.R. 6138 which would repeal the anti-prostitution pledge. She noted that it was not easy in getting the travel ban lifted, but it was done. Congresswoman Lee also pointed to a bipartisan effort on addressing the global HIV/AIDS problem and in the goal toward achieving and AIDS free generation.

Congresswoman Lee noted that she has participated in every International Aids Conference since 1998 and wanted to host a conference in the United States to highlight the domestic epidemic. She noted that 50% of new infections take place in the African American community and that in some communities, the infection rate is comparable to that of sub-Saharan Africa. She ended with a call for additional resources for domestic strategy, PEPFAR and the global fund.

After Congresswoman Lee left, Senator Enzi noted that the PEPFAR program was initially passed within two months and passed unanimously through the Senate and House. However, Senator Enzi also noted that future votes were not unanimous and that there is an obvious need for more funding internationally and domestically. He stated that he would reauthorize the Ryan White bill.

Senator Enzi noted that he has travelled multiple times to sub-Saharan Africa and, as a result of his travel, cannot turn his back on those suffering from HIV/AIDS there. He relayed a story from one visit where he was told that there was only enough funding to treat five children and asked, “How would you like to be the person who gets to pick the five children live?” He also noted the problems of treatment outside of access to medicines.

In closing remarks, Senator Enzi called for people living with HIV to share their stories, appreciation and ways to improve.

Senator Rubio echoed Congresswoman Lee’s call for an AIDS-free generation, stating that we will be asked by future generations “Where were you when the AIDS epidemic was happening? Where were you when children were dying?” He emphasized a need to increase innovation, but also to be more effective and find more affordable treatments.

In response to Senator Frist’s question regarding funding through a period where the United States is under severe fiscal restraints, Senator Rubio noted that we are not in debt because of foreign aid and that less than 1 percent of the budget is spent on foreign aid. He said that if we were to zero out foreign aid, it would do nothing for our budget but would have devastating consequences for those receiving aid. He stated that global AIDS funding is about humanity and compassion. He also noted that the United States is not immune to what is going on in the rest of the world and that it is therefore in the interest of the United States to eradicate AIDS.

Senator Rubio also noted that success leads to complacency, and that we still have other issues to address like costs and resistance to treatment.

Senator Coons reflected back on his visits to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in 1984 and 1987 when AIDS was not well understood. He called the deaths and bigotry of that time period a “profound human tragedy.” Noting that both he and Senator Rubio have children, he noted hope that their children could grow up in an AIDS-free generation. He noted that the attention to HIV/AIDS is a tribute to activists, healthcare workers and families. He also called for a need to sustain funding for HIV/AIDS treatment.

With respect to financing, Senator Coons reflected on two possible pathways. The first would be to cut and reduce investments. The other pathway — one which he asserted better reflected our values — would be to “double down” and invest more in translational science and find a cure. He called for investment in “game-changing research.”

In his closing remarks, Senator Coons called for visits to HIV clinics in the United States and abroad in order to understand the issue better. He again emphasized the bipartisan support on this issue.

Unfortunately, there was no time for questions. Protesters did manage to get one speaker — a person living with HIV from Gambia — who noted that he was “pissed off” with Senator Enzi sharing stories of other people. He said that he was tired of hearing stories and wanted to hear strategy. He cited the lack of funding at the Global Fund and questioned what the strategy was going forward to ensure funding for treatment.

I would have liked to ask a question regarding the bill introduced by Senator Sanders last May, S.1138, which would set up a prize fund for HIV/AIDS. With calls for increased funding for research and development, the speakers did not discuss the problems of the high prices of medicines that results from our monopoly system. Senator Sanders spoke about his bill at another session later in the day. Remarks by Senator Sanders on the panel on the “AIDS Financial Crisis,” are available here.

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Protesters at the International AIDS Conference 2012

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