Dick Durbin: “I didn't agree with former President George W. Bush on a lot of things, but I have repeatedly given him credit for…”

“I didn't agree with former President George W. Bush on a lot of things, but I have repeatedly given him credit for making the United States the world's leader in stemming the HIV-AIDS epidemic in some of the poorest parts of the world. That was 22 years ago. The program is called the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR. PEPFAR and its companion effort, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, dramatically curtailed the AIDS epidemic that was ravaging many parts of the world. PEPFAR alone has saved more than 26 million lives. Thank you, President George W. Bush. Both of these programs provide retroviral drugs for those with AIDS, allowing them to continue to live productive lives and prevent the spread of the disease at childbirth. They have been so effective that many have forgotten just how devastating AIDS was in many parts of the world, at one point killing more than 2 million people every year and leaving 14 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries, life expectancy had dropped to 20 years. A few years ago, we took a look at the nation of Malawi. PEPFAR and the Global Fund Program increased the number of Malawians living with AIDS and receiving treatment from 5 to nearly 90 percent. Thank you, President George W. Bush.…”