Hyde Proposes $1 Billion to Fight HIV/AIDS Globally

House International Relations Committee Chair Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) yesterday introduced a bill to authorize more than $1 billion to fight HIV/AIDS internationally and initiate a $50 million pilot program for AIDS treatment, part of "a comprehensive strategy to combat the global pandemic," the Washington Times reports (Washington Times, 6/7). Hyde proposed spending $519 million for prevention, education and treatment programs in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries. Although he said he faces "an uphill battle" to convince legislators to fund the program, Hyde stated that the world is on the verge of "a modern-day plague." The committee has a hearing today (USA Today, 6/7).