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Letter to President Clinton on ADAP
September 27, 2000
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United
States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you again on an issue of great importance to millions
of Americans - funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in the Ryan
White CARE Act. Since 1995, we have consistently asked your Administration
to ensure that your annual budget requests reflect the real needs in the
ADAP program, and unfortunately your budgets have fallen drastically short
each and every year, and each year the Republican Congress has put
millions of dollars more into the program to answer the call. This year,
your budget request fell short again.
In your budget request for Fiscal Year 2001, you asked for a $26
million increase in ADAP funding, while the projected need was higher.
Unfortunately, the need has only increased since then. Thanks to the
enactment of an important minority outreach program, spearheaded by the
Congressional Black Caucus, enrollment in the ADAP program by minority
patients has increased throughout the year. This has given tremendous hope
to so many Americans with HIV that they will have access to life-saving
treatments currently out of reach. Overall, state and territorial AIDS
directors have reported that the projected national need for ADAP will be
closer to $130 million more than the previous year. Your budget request
will not cover this additional need, and many of these new enrollees may
face lotteries, rationing or simply a closed door.
The Republican Congress has carried the ADAP program every year,
despite the failure of leadership from your Administration. I respectfully
ask again, Mr. President, that you become an active participant in meeting
the ADAP needs for so many Americans with HIV/AIDS, and submit a request
to Congress for an increase of $130 million for this life-saving program
in your Statement of Principles before budget negotiations end for the
year.
I appreciate your urgent consideration of this issue.
Sincerely,
RICH TAFEL
Executive Director |
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