Bush Issues Misleading Response to Question on AIDS Policy

[Nambe]

WASHINGTON, July 30 /PRNewswire/

Today, during his White House press conference, President Bush was directly challenged on AIDS policy. Asked whether he intended to keep his word regarding an emergency response to the global epidemic, he overstated his budget for global AIDS programs by nearly $1 billion.

Acknowledging the controversy over his 36-word pledge on AIDS in the State of the Union Address, the President noted that some have questioned his sincerity because he proposes spending much less than $3 billion the first year of the program. "So people then have been saying, "Well, wait a minute. He doesn't believe what he said," said President Bush.

The President claimed that his proposal was to spend "a little less that 2-1/2 billion initially" since "the OMB came up with a plan that allows for a -- you know, a smaller amount in the beginning."

In fact, the President's proposal on AIDS for FY 2004 is to spend $1.55 billion on direct AIDS services. Even after including funding for AIDS research and for programs to fight other diseases, the total figure remains only $2.035 billion. While Congress has proposed spending the full $3 billion, the White House has intervened twice to stop Congress from spending more. ---

[Frances]

1. When has Bush ever

done what he said he would do?

[MaineDem]

2. He lies every time his lips move (nt)

.

[Cha]

3. Wonder what ol' Bono thinks of thinks of this more Waffling

from the Waffle House?

[xchrom]

4. what a piece of trash

just a class a fuck-up -- bush makes gum on the bottom of your shoe look good.

[dfong63]

5. you took the words right out of my mouth

except the word "trash" isn't quite what i had in mind...

the budget is plenty big enough for the "tax cuts", plenty big enough to spend a billion dollars PER WEEK on occupying Iraq, but not big enough to keep his promise on AIDS funding...

[LauraK]

6. I'll look for a SA news release on this.

It won't be pretty.