Vice President Cheney Addresses AIDS on ‘Meet the Press’
Vice President Dick Cheney Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," after being asked by host Tim Russert if he agreed with Sen. Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) push for more U.S. funding to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and statement that AIDS is "worse than the bubonic plague," said, "I think we're going to have a major initiative in this area." Cheney also said that Secretary of State Colin Powell and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson are already working on a comprehensive proposal that includes provisions for AIDS drugs, education and prevention, because according to Cheney, "[i]t's not just a question of buying drugs." Cheney said that he agreed with Powell's statement that AIDS is a national security issue and added that "the administration will be very actively involved" in supporting an effort to fight global AIDS. Cheney continued, "The president agrees wholeheartedly this is a terrible tragedy for mankind, and ... we clearly have an obligation to help for humanitarian reasons, and we will." (Russert, "Meet the Press," NBC, 4/8).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.