WASHINGTON — President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that triples U.S. funding to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world.
The five-year, $48 billion plan renews a program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa alone and is seen as one of the major achievements of the Bush presidency.
Bush said the program, which he launched in 2003, “is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history.”
The president signed the bill surrounded by lawmakers and by people affected by AIDS whom he met on his February trip to Africa.
The legislation is a rare case of relatively easy cooperation between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the Republican White House. It passed the House last week by a 303-115 vote and the Senate earlier in the month by 80-16.
It renews Bush’s original five-year, $15 billion program called the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was set to expire in September.
Some GOP conservatives questioned the sharp spending increase. But most on both sides of the aisle, and in groups that advocate for health initiatives and Africa, praised the U.S. aid for boosting America’s reputation abroad.
The program’s renewal comes with some significant changes: a third of prevention funds will no longer be reserved for abstinence education; a “conscience clause” gives religious groups the right to refuse participation; more focus is placed on women and girls; and HIV-positive people will find it easier to get visas into the United States.
