Liberals Try To Eliminate Newborn Babies AIDS Testing Program Funding

UPDATE 2/15/07: Despite the $463.5 billion in the 2007 spending bill the U.S. Senate adopted late yesterday, liberals refused to find $30 million to detect and treat HIV/AIDS in newborn babies. In fact, the legislation specifically includes a provision that would cancel a program designed to do just that. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) attempted to add an amendment earlier this week to reinstate the funding, but Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) refused to include it in the final bill.

Liberals in the Senate and House are using their control of the agenda in Congress stop a $30 million program that encourages states to test newborns for HIV. The program authorized under the Ryan White Early Diagnosis Grant Program has successfully reduced the numbers of babies who become infected through their mothers. The HIV test costs $10 and the treatment to prevent HIV infection in a baby delivered by a mother with HIV costs $75. By comparison, it costs at least $10,000 per year to treat a newborn with HIV. An infant with HIV has a life expectancy of more than 23 years. Lifetime care could exceed $250,000.

Liberals have decided that this program is an “earmark” that should be eliminated. This funding is included in the omnibus spending bill that has already passed the House. The $30 million has already been appropriated for this program, but liberals have introduced Section 20613(b) of House Joint Resolution 20, that prohibits funds going to the early diagnosis program. Note: these previously appropriated funds will not be saved but will revert back to the CDC’s other HIV/AIDS activities and not be used to help prevent AIDs in babies.

In New York, there was a 78% drop in infected newborns between 1997 and 2002 because of the baby AIDS program. According to Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), after his state implemented a baby AIDS testing program -- of the 213 babies born to HIV-infected mothers in 2002, only one baby was confirmed as HIV positive! Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), a medical doctor and expert on AIDS, has introduced amendment (SA 234), which will restore the $30 million in funding for the baby AIDS program.

Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is expected to block any amendments offered by Republicans to the omnibus spending bill! The Senate is expected to deal with this issue by the close of business on February 15th. TAKE ACTION: Contact your two U.S. Senators today and ask that they support Senator Coburn’s amendment (SA 234) to restore funding for the baby AIDS program to the omnibus spending bill! [Read More]

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