Cord Byrd: “I will vote against the Coburn amendment that would have increased funding for the State AIDS Drug Assistance Program by…”

“I will vote against the Coburn amendment that would have increased funding for the State AIDS Drug Assistance Program by cutting needed funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. I have long supported, and will continue to support, increased funding for the State AIDS Drug Assistance Program to assist those suffering from HIV/AIDS in West Virginia and across the Nation. However, I could not support the Coburn amendment that would have reduced funding to upgrade and modernize the public health facilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. The current facilities at the CDC are in a state of extreme disrepair. This is unacceptable at a moment when we face a possible avian flu pandemic which could threaten millions of American lives. The CDC serves on the frontlines of our Nation's defense and preparations for such a flu outbreak.”