CALL DC NOW TOLL-FREE TO SUPPORT GLOBAL AIDS $

BILLION-DOLLAR FIGHT Global AIDS champions need more support to salvage AIDS/TB/Malaria initiatives -- you can help! The new Democratic-controlled Congress kicked off this week, and leaders say they’ll try to clean up the mess Republicans left them by passing a year-long continuing resolution using FY06 enacted levels as the base levels with some new additions. One big problem: the Senate had been moving toward significantly higher funding levels for global AIDS and other core global health and development programs. Now the expected increases are in jeopardy. There is a $900 million difference between FY06 enacted and FY07 Senate levels for global AIDS TB, and malaria programs – your Senator and House member should fight to kick the funding back up! Senators Dick Durbin and Sam Brownback are circulating a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter urging the new Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd to increase global AIDS TB, and malaria programs by $1 billion higher than FY06 enacted levels. Representative Barbara Lee is expected to circulate a similar letter in the House. First: sign on to an NGO support letter for Durbin/Brownback Activists are circulating an NGO sign-on letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Chairs. If you would like to sign on to this letter, please contact Mike Skonieczny at Friends of the Global Fight with an email to mike@theglobalfight.org ASAP. Second: call Congress toll-free at 888-802-1207 and get your reps to sign on! The Durbin/Brownback letter CLOSES ON TUES., JAN 9: read it here (LINK). Please call your Senator and ask that s/he sign on to this letter by Tuesday. Then call your representative in the House and urge them to sign the Lee letter. Here’s the simple message: “The final federal budget for this year must include a billion-dollar increase for global AIDS, TB and malaria programs. Please sign on to the Durbin/Brownback or Barbara Lee letter -- millions of people living with HIV/AIDS around the world need your support.” Thanks for taking action!