NEWS FLASH

Report Faults Congressional Restrictions For 10 Percent Drop in U.S. Anti-HIV/AIDS Funding | A report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS blames the drop in U.S. funding for the global effort against HIV/AIDS on restrictions put in place by the U.S. Congress. While the report also cited belt-tightening in the economic downturn, the rules Congress imposed in 2008 that require the recipient countries to make five-year plans for the money took most of the blame. Meeting the requirement delayed aid disbursement to 15 of 32 eligible countries. In 2010, the U.S. gave about $3.7 billion dollars toward efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. Though the number was down $700 million from the previous year, the U.S. still leads the world in giving. Here’s a chart from the Wall Street Journal: