July 11, 2008

ACTION ALERT: TELL SENATORS TO KEEP PEPFAR MOVING!

Light up the Senate switchboard for PEPFAR flickr.com/photos/leecullivan/102377512/

Wednesday night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a motion that would circumvent seven obstructionist Senate Republicans and allow the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reauthorization (S..2731) to move forward. There will also be an attempt to raise a budget point of order against the bill due to the HIV/AIDS travel ban provision. Sixty votes are needed to overcome this budget point of order, and if that threshold is not met, the bill will fail for this year. The vote could happen as early as today and we need your help to get the 60 votes needed that will move the bill forward!

With lackluster commitments coming out of the G-8 summit this week, it's more important than ever that the U.S. give its fair share in its fight against AIDS, TB and malaria—even if other developed countries aren't.

Please seek your senator's support! Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the senator of your choice. When you speak to a person say, "I would like Sen. ____ to authorize the full $50 billion over five years in the PEPFAR reauthorization bill and resist amendments to take away funding and resist any push to insert further abstinence only provisions."

Important senators to call:

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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