Congress triples amount for AIDS relief in Africa

JIM ABRAMS; The Associated Press WASHINGTON – The House voted Thursday to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a program credited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The 303-115 vote sends the global AIDS bill to President Bush for his signature. Bush, who first floated the idea of a campaign against the scourge of AIDS in his 2003 State of the Union speech, supports the five-year, $48 billion plan. Passage of the bill culminated a rare instance of cooperation between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress. It was “born out of a willingness to work together and put the United States on the right side of history when it comes to this global pandemic,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., a leader on the issue. Reps. Doc... [read full story]