Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Chairman of the US House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, applauded President Obama's announcement of increased funding for US global health initiatives.  Under the President's $63 billion plan, $51 billion over 6 years will go towards the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), representing an additional $3 billion over the 2008 authorization level.  An additional $12 billion will be dedicated to other global health priorities, including child and maternal health and capacity building for health systems.

On President Obama's declaration, Congressman Payne stated:

President Obama's announcement shows an incredible commitment not only to PEPFAR and the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, but also to child and maternal health, neglected tropical diseases, and other challenges that greatly impact the health and wealth of millions of people around the world.  Most importantly, it demonstrates an acute understanding of the need to invest in health systems in Africa and other developing regions, which reaffirms the work that I, along with Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and so many in the global health advocacy community have been doing. 

President Obama's leadership reminds us that America does not exist in isolation – what happens around the globe can and does have real consequences at home.  We need to look no further than the H1N1 [swine] influenza pandemic to see the ripple effect that a health crisis in one country has on others around the world.  The 2007 trip of Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta man infected with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is another prime example of the global reach of many of the world's diseases.

This quantum leap in global health funding levels clearly demonstrates the US commitment to global health and firmly secures our position as a world leader on these issues.