Pelosi Statement on GAO Findings on Ryan White Program Funding

Pelosi Statement on GAO Findings on Ryan White Program Funding

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to the release of GAO’s findings regarding the impact of significant funding increases provided by the House of Representatives for Part A of the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act:

â€Å"The GAO’s findings confirm the significant benefits that jurisdictions impacted by Part A of the Ryan White program will see from the House-passed fiscal year 2008 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill, which provides the largest increase for Part A since fiscal year 2001.

â€Å"Part A of the Ryan White program directs funds to the 56 jurisdictions, referred to as ‘Eligible Metropolitan Areas,’ that have been most severely impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. An increase of $32.3 million for Part A is included in the House bill.

â€Å"The increase for Part A includes approximately $9 million to reduce severe funding cuts announced by the Bush Administration earlier this year. These cuts impact 11 jurisdictions. During last year’s reauthorization of Ryan White, Congress included provisions to protect jurisdictions from severe cuts that would destabilize existing systems of care that people living with HIV/AIDS rely upon for access to medications and primary medical care. Despite these protections, the Bush Administration allocated funds in a way that led some jurisdictions, including San Francisco, to lose one-third of their total funds.

â€Å"Even after funds are provided to reduce these cuts to a more manageable level, the increase for Part A is $23 million - still the largest increase in seven years. GAO’s findings confirm that in addition to benefiting the 11 jurisdictions whose cuts are reduced, the House bill also results in increased funding for 42 of the remaining 45 jurisdictions that qualify under Part A. Given that the House has provided the largest increase since 2001 for these programs, it makes sense that the vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS live in jurisdictions that will receive increased funds. The very minor cuts projected in three jurisdictions are all less than 0.01 percent.”