Newsroom

President Obama’s FY10 Budget Breaks His Campaign Promises on Global Issues

"President Obama is betraying the trust of millions of people around the world, many of whom will die as a result of that betrayal."

Washington, DC (Thursday, May 7, 2009)—President Obama's $3.55 trillion budget released today breaks four of his campaign promises and creates a total shortfall of $4.6 billion in U.S. support for global AIDS and education programs.

The proposed FY10 funding ignores the President's campaign promises by including only $5 billion for PEPFAR, the successful U.S. bilateral AIDS program ($1.5 billion shortfall); $900 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ($1.8 billion shortfall); and $700 million for global basic education ($1.3 billion shortfall). The FY10 budget also makes it impossible for the President to meet his stated target of doubling foreign assistance by 2012. (See fact sheet linked below.)

This budget request sets the Obama Administration on a path to breaking many of its campaign promises to the people of Africa and to falling short on its commitments to reassert U.S. moral leadership around the world, with devastating health consequences. GAA estimates that as a consequence of President Obama's broken promises:

  • One million people around the world will not receive treatment for AIDS.
  • 2.9 million women won't receive services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
  • 27 million people will not access sexual disease transmission prevention programs.
  • 1.9 million orphans and other children affected by or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS will not receive care and support services.

"Underfunding these critical programs will have grave consequences, especially during the current global economic crisis and at a point in time when the world may be in the early stages of a devastating flu pandemic," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance.

"The President has a moral obligation to demonstrate global leadership on behalf of the poorest and most marginalized people of the world, especially in Africa. But by turning his back on those needs, President Obama is betraying the trust of millions of people around the world, many of whom will die as a result of that betrayal. We are disappointed by his short-sighted leadership," said Zeitz.

Please click here for a PDF version of this press release. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE FOR THIS STORY:

GAA Fact Sheet on President Obama's Four Broken Campaign Promises
http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/page/-/PDFs/Broken_Promises_Factsheet_May_2009.pdf