Tina Smith: “I rise to laud President Bush's announcement in his State of the Union Address of a $15 billion, 5-year emergency plan…”

“I rise to laud President Bush's announcement in his State of the Union Address of a $15 billion, 5-year emergency plan for AIDS relief, with $10 billion in new money to combat the global AIDS pandemic, provides new hope for many of the 42 million men, women, and children living with AIDS right now. This initiative, which I enthusiastically support, represents a critical first step in scaling up the world's response to the global AIDS pandemic. Combined with expanded, though still relatively small, bilateral resources to fight tuberculosis, the leading killer of people with AIDS, this initiative can save many lives. I commend the President for his leadership in this effort. In truth, however, this effort has just begun. This initiative should be just a first downpayment by the U.S. in our fight against AIDS. We must fully fund this initiative in 2004 and do more. It is also up to us to now work with the President to shape this initiative for maximum impact.”