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Health

A Democrat Exposes the Bush HIV/AIDS Funding Fiasco

By Gloria Nieto
Vice-Chair of the DNC Gay and Lesbian American Caucus

Bush's AIDS battle focuses on Africa, at the expense of the homeland and prevention

In 1987, my friend, Larry Folsom was 28 years old and he could not get up from the couch by himself. He had been diagnosed with AIDS in June and by August he had trouble with basic movement. He was dead in October. By 1998, I had lost over 50 friends to AIDS.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held its 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference. At this conference, the CDC revealed that for the first time in a decade, the number of AIDS cases appears to be on the rise, particularly among gay and in communities of color.

In fact, according to the CDC, the number of Americans living with AIDS jumped 2.2% in 2002. HIV diagnoses among gay men increased by 7.1 % in 2002. CDC statistics also revealed that an estimated 70% of new HIV infections have occurred in African-American and Latino communities.

At last month's conference, the CDC also promoted its new initiative, Advancing HIV Prevention: New Strategies for a Changing Epidemic (AHP), which has been criticized by communities of color because it will actually shift over $40 million of the CDC's $400 million HIV/AIDS prevention budget away from community-based prevention programs to fund a national testing effort.

This shift will force many community-based organizations in African-American and Latino communities to cut back on life-saving local prevention programs for people who are uninfected but at the highest risk of contracting HIV.

The Bush Administration's proposed response to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic does not address the problems America is facing. For example, the Administration's proposed budget offers no new funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which provides low-income persons living with HIV access to life-prolonging drugs, or for the Minority Health Initiative, which funds studies of--among other items--the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in communities of color.

Furthermore, in the face of rising numbers, the Administration has twice proposed flat funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, which funds primary health care and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

As Democrats, we believe that our nation must do all it can to focus its efforts on fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including, as described in our 2000 Party Platform, a deep investment in community based prevention programs, full funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, and the search for a cure. We believe the HIV/AIDS epidemic requires a comprehensive, coordinated national strategy that includes increased funding and strong presidential leadership.

The Bush Administration so far has failed to meet either of these tests. As the latest CDC numbers show, the consequences for the country and for communities of color in particular have been devastating. This President's failure to address the HIV/AIDS domestic epidemic only serves to reinforce the need for Democratic leadership in the White House.

I have lost the generation of men I should be growing old with. My history is composed of funerals, loss and grief that will never be healed. This devastation has names and lives lost, and talent and contributions taken from the world which can never be replaced. We are headed down that road again. As Democrats, it is time to say 'Never again.'"

Gloria Nieto is Vice-Chair of the DNC Gay and Lesbian American Caucus and a longtime AIDS Activist

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