President George W. Bush Pens Public Appeal To Trump: Leave HIV/AIDS Program Budget Intact

President George W. Bush

President George W. Bush pens public appeal to the Trump administration to leave the budget for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) intact.

Last month, Trump proposed cutting $300 million from Bush’s extremely successful program that battles HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Here's just an excerpt from Bush's op-ed published by the Washington Post:

As the executive and legislative branches review the federal budget, they will have vigorous debates about how best to spend taxpayers’ money — and they should. Some will argue that we have enough problems at home and shouldn’t spend money overseas. I argue that we shouldn’t spend money on programs that don’t work, whether at home or abroad.

But they should fully fund programs that have proven to be efficient, effective and results-oriented. Saving nearly 12 million lives is proof that PEPFAR works, and I urge our government to fully fund it. We are on the verge of an AIDS-free generation, but the people of Africa still need our help. The American people deserve credit for this tremendous success and should keep going until the job is done.