PI Action alerts & updates ... 2002

Congress Fails To Pass Final Appropriations Bill
ADAP and Other Programs Continue To Be Underfunded

Calls To Congress Needed By January 6!!

As reported in previous TAN and SAVE ADAP Alerts, Congress failed to finish its work on appropriations October 1st, the first day of Fiscal Year 2003. Instead, it has passed a series of “continuing resolutions” or temporary spending bills, to keep programs funded until it could negotiate a final appropriations bill. These continuing resolutions are funding HIV/AIDS programs at last year’s levels. Congress has now adjourned for the year, so the new Congress that will begin work on January 6th, 2003 will be responsible for passing a final bill.

A strong grassroots effort is needed to ensure that the highest possible increases are supported for all global and domestic HIV/AIDS programs, including the $162 million increase desperately needed to help alleviate the fiscal crisis faced by many AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). Even if you have communicated with your elected officials about this issue earlier in the year, your voice is needed more than ever. House and Senate leaders are under pressure to yield to President Bush’s proposed budget, which includes very inadequate funding for international and domestic HIV/AIDS programs, including no increase for ADAP and the Ryan White CARE Act. Congress must reject this budget and demonstrate leadership by supporting adequate funding.

Please put on your holiday “to do” list (or first on your list of New Year’s Resolutions) to call your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators by January 6, 2003 and let them know you expect them to support adequate funding for ADAP and other crucial HIV programs. If you have a new Representative or Senator, make sure you call them the week of January 6, after they take office.

Also, mark your calendars: there will be a national “Call Congress” action on Wednesday, January 15th to coincide with a press conference in Washington, DC calling attention to the need for leadership from Congress and a final appropriations bill. Look for a future TAN Alert with more details!

What you can do:
Please call your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators’ district and DC offices by January 6. Ask to speak to a staff member who handles HIV/AIDS and healthcare issues. Whether you speak to this staff member in person, leave a voicemail, or are asked to leave a message with the person who answers the phone, use the following sample message:

Sample Phone Message

“I am a constituent of Representative/Senator ____________. I am calling to urge him/her to do everything in his/her power to support the highest possible increases for all global and domestic HIV/AIDS programs in the final Fiscal Year 2003 appropriations bill, including a $162 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. The President’s proposed budget is highly inadequate and Congress must demonstrate leadership by supporting adequate funding to fight this epidemic.”

How to get contact information for your Representatives and Senators:
If you need help identifying your elected officials, you can:

call Project Vote Smart at 1-888-868-3762,
check out their website at www.vote-smart.org, or
email Ryan Clary at Project Inform, rclary@projectinform.org with your street address, including zip code.
Once you have identified your legislators, you can find their webpages at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov with phone numbers for their district and Washington DC offices.

You can also contact your representatives’ DC offices by calling the Capitol switchboard toll-free at 202-224-3121. You will need to know in advance the names of your Representative/Senator. Ask to be connected to their office.

Please forward this Alert widely!

Thank you for taking action!