Pelosi: 'Stop-Loss' Provision Blocks Drastic Cuts in HIV/AIDS Funding for San Francisco

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

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement after President Obama signed into law the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which included a provision that prevents drastic cuts to San Francisco’s federal HIV/AIDS care and treatment funding. The "stop-loss" language was included in the bill by Appropriations Chairman David Obey at the Speaker’s request.

"The Omnibus appropriations bill signed into law today by President Obama includes a provision that will prevent drastic cuts in Ryan White HIV/AIDS care and treatment funds for San Francisco and 12 other urban areas across the country. The inclusion of this essential protection will restore nearly $7 million in funding for the San Francisco Eligible Metropolitan Area, which includes Marin and San Mateo counties. I want to thank Chairman Obey of the Appropriations Committee for his crucial assistance in including this language in the omnibus bill.

"San Francisco developed the model of community-based care that served as the basis for the original Ryan White CARE Act, and our needs are still severe. AIDS continues to be the City’s second leading cause of premature death for men and nearly 22,000 San Franciscans are currently living with HIV/AIDS – more than at any point in the history of the epidemic. Restoration of these funds was critical for our system of care.

"I applaud Senators Feinstein and Boxer for their leadership in the successful effort to defeat a last-minute amendment from Republican Senator Michael Enzi, which would have reinstated these severe cuts. Senator Enzi mischaracterized the impact of this provision by claiming it would harm other jurisdictions. In reality, the omnibus funding bill provided the largest funding increase in eight years for the portion of Ryan White funds that goes directly to all urban areas heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS."

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Background

Carefully negotiated provisions were included in the 2006 Ryan White reauthorization to protect jurisdictions receiving funding under Title I of Ryan White from severe funding cuts that destabilize existing systems of care people living with HIV/AIDS rely upon for access to medications and primary medical care. Unfortunately, flawed implementation of those protections by the Bush Administration caused severe funding cuts for several urban areas, including San Francisco. The language included in the Omnibus Appropriations Act reduces these cuts to levels that jurisdictions can realistically absorb in one fiscal year.

Senators Enzi (R-WY) mischaracterized the impact of this "stop-loss" language by claiming it takes resources from other jurisdictions. However, the omnibus provides a significant increase for Title I that reduces these cuts to a manageable level for the thirteen jurisdictions impacted by the "stop-loss" while still ensuring increases for other jurisdictions.

Even after $10.8 million is used to reduce cuts for the thirteen jurisdictions impacted by the "stop-loss" provision, there is still a $25.1 million increase for Title I in the House bill. This is the largest increase for Title I since fiscal year 2001.