It's easy to blame the Bush administration for all the rotten things that have occurred in the past seven years. But not all of it is G.W.'s, Dick Cheney's, or even Donald Rumsfeld's fault. Sometimes the maddening, irrational, almost sociopathic decisions coming from Capitol Hill are made by average low profile politicians who nevertheless have enough clout to screw things up for lots of people.

Currently, seven Republican senators are fighting a bill that would invest $50 billion over the next five years in the global fight against AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. This is a remarkable increase from the $19 billion allocated for the first five years of the initiative, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

These averse senators believe the spending is irresponsible, in part because Congress eliminated the requirement that 55% of the funds be spent on prevention, as opposed to treatment and services.

Obviously, $50 billion is a lot of money, and a more than 60% increase in the amount spent between 2003 and 2008.

The author of an Op/Ed piece in the New York Times last week speculates that even with a new president and Congress, the bill will not likely find bipartisan support because of the faltering economy, and suggests that we should fight for it to be passed now in order to strengthen President Bush's standing at the G8 Summit in July.

Stay informed at PEPFAR Watch, an online resource for AIDS awareness updates on US policies affecting the global fight against the disease.

[Image: IntangibleArts]