===========================================================================
President Bush Thanks Congress for Reauthorizing PEPFAR
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 16, 2008

President Bush Thanks Congress for Reauthorizing PEPFAR

ÿÿWhite House News


I thank the Senate for the strong, bipartisan vote today to pass important,
life-saving legislation reauthorizing the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). I appreciate the efforts of Majority Leader Reid,
Senators Biden and Lugar, and all other Senators from both sides of the
aisle who came together today to ensure that America's generosity in
battling HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases around the globe will
continue in a manner consistent with the program's successful founding
principles.

When we launched this program in 2003, about 50,000 people in Sub-Saharan
Africa were receiving anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. Today, PEPFAR
supports life-saving anti-retroviral treatment for more than 1.7 million
people around the world. PEPFAR has also supported treatment and prevention
programs that have helped HIV-positive women give birth to nearly 200,000
infants who are HIV-free. PEPFAR is the largest international health
initiative in history to fight a single disease.

Traveling in Africa earlier this year, Laura and I had our most recent
opportunity to witness the effectiveness of this program. We were honored
to see the doctors, nurses and caregivers of all faiths working to save the
lives of their fellow citizens. And we met the patients, including many
children, who understand and appreciate America's generosity.

With passage of today's bill we are one step closer to ensuring that this
excellent program continues to help those in need. I encourage the full
Congress to move quickly to send me final legislation that I can sign.

# # #

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/07/20080716-13.html