Senate Panel Approves AIDS Foreign Aid
WASHINGTON, 28 June: Senate Democrats are cutting President Bushs marquee (førende) foreign aid program to help emerging democracies and funneling more money to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday reduced Bush 3 billion US dollar request for the Millennium Challenge Corporation to 1,2 billion. The program assists countries in putting in place economic and political reforms, but it has slow to spend prior appropriations.
The committee is boosting Bushs 4,2 billion request for the foreign aid bills global HIV/AIDS account by 940 million dollar. Lawmakers are adding 590 million dollar to the Bush administrations request for a global fund to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; that is enough money to almost triple it.
Altogether, however, the committee would cut Bushs request for foreign aid and the State Department budget by almost 900 million dollar, transferring money to domestic accounts favored on Capitol Hill.
Senate Democrats originally proposed a 1,4 billion dollar budget for the Millennium Challenge account. But Republican Senator Judd Gregg sought to cut it by 200 million more, transferring the money to economic and military aid for Jordan.
The Senates foreign aid bill, like the Houses, faces a veto from President Bush because it would ease restrictions on overseas groups that perform or promote abortion by allowing them to receive US-donated contraceptives. A ban on direct monetary aid would remain in place.
Kilde: The Push Journal
