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******************************************TIME ISN’T THE ONLY THING CONGRESS IS KILLING******************************************Senate leadership must stand up to Senator Coburn (R-OK) who is blocking passage of the largest global health bill in history. Coburn says he objects to the bill and has placed a “hold” on a vote, even though there are more than 60 bipartisan supporters in the Senate – but the Senate leaders of both parties are pretending to be helpless to call for a vote. If the bill doesn’t pass before the G8 in early July, the leaders of both parties are responsible. Senators Reid, McConnell, Obama and McCain need to make sure to Join ACT UP and other activists from across the mid-Atlantic for a rally to demand that the Global AIDS, TB and Malaria bill is passed before the G8. Thursday, June 26th at Noon Free buses are available from Philadelphia and NYC. Philadelphia buses will depart from Broad and Walnut at 7:30am. NYC bus departure is still being determined. To RSVP for either bus, or if you have questions about the action, contact samsitrin500@hotmail.com. More information: The Hyde/Lantos US Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (S. 2731) is a bipartisan consensus to continue the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and President’s Malaria Initiative for another five years. The bill would treat four million people with HIV, dedicate funding to address malaria and tuberculosis, provide nutrition support, train and retain 140,000 new health professionals, and lessen restrictions on prevention funding. While it is not a perfect bill, it would still save millions of lives, and must be passed. But one senator, Tom Coburn from OK, has placed a “hold” on the bill, and the leadership of both parties are not working to overcome the hold. Literally millions of lives depend on continuation and expansion of U.S. AIDS, TB and malaria programs. This bill has broad bipartisan support, from conservative Senator Lugar to liberal Senator Kennedy. A similar bill passed the House in February with 308 votes in favor and only 116 opposed. Senate leadership, including Senators Reid, McConnell, Obama and McCain have the power to overcome Coburn’s hold. But they’re running out of time. The President goes to the G8 meetings (a meeting of the heads of state of the richest 8 countries) in early July. If he can go to this meeting with a commitment from the U.S. To increase funding for global health programs, it is likely other countries will also increase their funding. But, if the bill is not passed by the G8, it is possible it won’t even pass this year, since the Senate will be preoccupied with a presidential election, and won’t be working on legislation. So the Senate has until July 1st to pass the Global AIDS Bill, or else they are responsible for the death of millions worldwide. More information at www.critpath.org/actup or samsitrin500@hotmail.com
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