URGENT: Arizona Action Alert-->Call on Senator Jon Kyl to Ensure PEPFAR Passage

[Guest guest]

Global

AIDS Alliance

July

2, 2008

URGENT!! 

Contact Senator Jon Kyl’s Office to

Urge

Passage of Bill on AIDS, TB and Malaria!

ISSUE:

A

bill to support the reauthorization of the US program on global HIV/AIDS, TB and

malaria passed the House in April, but now it is stuck in the Senate!  It is

being blocked by a handful of Republican Senators, the main one being Jon Kyl

(R-AZ).

As Archbishop Tutu

put it on June 18, “I plead to the leaders, the members of the Congress,

for the sake of the world, for the sake of the future, expedite the passing of

this legislation”

For the rest of what

Archbishop Tutu said about this go here:

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/newsroom/press_releases/press061708/

We need

your help now to urge the full Senate to consider its version of the bill.

Unless the Senate moves fast on this we could lose crucial momentum!

è Please contact

Senator Jon Kyl’s office immediately. As the Senate Minority Whip he

has an important responsibility to end partisan gridlock in the Senate and let

this bill, which has broad support, go forward.  Both McCain and Obama have

co-sponsored the bill, and with your voice we have a shot at getting this

crucial bill passed in time!

Let’s

not lose the momentum!  It is of the utmost importance to people living with

HIV (and to the fight against TB and malaria!!) that we secure this bill --

with all its good, lifesaving programs -- this year!!  That’s why your

Senator needs to hear from you right away!

TAKE ACTION!

Contact Senator Kyl’s office today.  It's simple and no

special expertise is required! Call (202) 224-4521.  You can also call locally

in Phoenix (602) 840-1891 or in Tucson (520) 575-8633. 

WHAT TO

SAY:

My name is __________, and I am a constituent of Senator Kyl’s. I am

calling to express my great disappointment that Senator Kyl has blocked floor

consideration of the pending AIDS, TB and malaria reauthorization bill, S. 2731.  This

funding in this bill is a crucial investment in US global leadership and it is

well worth the cost. Please convey to the Senator that I urge him to allow the

bill to be debated and voted on by the Senate as soon as it resumes work after

the July 4th recess

Remember you do not need to be an expert to make these calls

– just speak from your heart!

Please email grassroots@...

to let us know how your call went!

More

background:

On

June 27th, Senator Kyl was one of several Senators to block

consideration of a crucial AIDS, Tb and malaria bill, which would authorize

programs to fight these diseases over the next five years. The bill has strong

bipartisan support, and Senator Coburn has dropped his opposition to the bill,

but Kyl is still one of the main holdouts and his main issue now is the funding

level.

 

He

blocked what would have been a fair debate.  There would have been 2 amendments

allowed from each side with second degree amendments to those 4 amendments. 

General debate would have been limited to limited 2 hours, with additional time

to debate amendments.

He

did so despite the fact that Bush made a personal, public appeal that day,

calling on the Senate to pass the bill. 

Because

Kyl and these other Senators have stood in the way, the President has had a

harder time at the G8 Summit convincing the other nations to increase their

contributions.  It's sad to see how just a few men can stand in the way of so

much life-saving help for world.

If

this bill fails to go forward after the recess, the biggest impact will be on

children, not only in Africa but in the Caribbean and other close neighbors as

well.  Malaria kills millions of children and pregnant women.  TB is also a

major killer. The bill includes support for crucial research on new prevention

and treatment methods for TB and malaria, which would benefit Latin America as

well as other regions.  Since the bill would, for the first time, greatly expand

US work on TB, the effort to stop drug-resistant TB would be hurt tremendously

if the bill fails.

You

will find more analysis here:

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/372

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/newsroom/press_releases/press040408/