PI Action alerts & updates ... 2005

Urge Your Members of Congress to Include ADAP
In Their Annual Appropriations Request Letter

Members of Congress are in the process of writing their annual appropriations request letters. These letters tell leadership in Congress what the funding priorities are for each Representative and Senator. The House of Representatives must send in their letters by April 8 and Senators by May 13.

This is a great opportunity to ask each Member to include the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in their letter. The more individual letters that highlight ADAP as a priority, the better the chance of getting increased funding in the final appropriations bill.

The ADAP crisis is continuing, so these letters are extremely important. As of February 9, twenty states have been forced to create restrictions to treatment access through their ADAPs, including waiting lists in many states. Eight additional states are expecting new or additional restrictions in the next few months. Experts have determined that a $303 million increase is needed for the next fiscal year, while President Bush has proposed a $10 million increase.

You can be a part of the campaign to get adequate ADAP funding by asking your Representative and Senators to include ADAP in their appropriations letter.

What you can do:
Please call your U.S. Representative (no later than April 7) and two U.S. Senators (by the end of April). Ask to speak to the staffperson who handles HIV/AIDS issues. Whether you speak to him/her live or leave a voicemail, tell them:

“I am a constituent of Senator/Representative _____________. I would like him/her to include the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in his/her annual appropriations request letter. This program provides lifesaving treatment to people with HIV/AIDS and is currently underfunded. Experts have indicated that a $303 million increase is needed for Fiscal Year 2006 to help alleviate the current crisis in the program.”

You can call your Members toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. You’ll need to know the names of your Senators and Representatives when calling the Congressional switchboard. Ask to be connected to their offices. If you need help finding their names, go to www.vote-smart.org.

Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard!

The Save ADAP Committee is a Working Group of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC), a national coalition of AIDS treatment activists and policy advocates. Working in conjunction with ADAP clients and service providers on the grassroots level, Save ADAP aims to ensure adequate funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. For more information go to www.atac-usa.org and click “SAVE ADAP”. To receive SAVE ADAP Alerts via email, send an email to saveadap@atac-usa.org with “subscribe” in the subject field.