Congresswoman Barbara Lee has a long and distinguished record as an HIV/AIDS warrior, working tirelessly to stop the spread of this deadly disease in the United States and around the world. Since her election to Congress more than a decade ago, the California Democrat has played a leading role in the development of every major HIV/AIDS bill and has sought to build bipartisan support for efforts to combat a disease that knows no political or geographic boundaries.
The Congresswoman was the co-author of the landmark legislation that created the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in 2003. This law established a $15 billion global AIDS initiative, at the time the largest financial commitment of any nation in history to combat a single disease. In 2005, her legislation helping orphans and vulnerable children affected by AIDS was signed into law.
In 2008, Congresswoman Lee was a co-author of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) legislation that renewed the global AIDS program, and successfully fought to increase the U.S. financial commitment to $48 billion through 2013 to the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. She co-authored The Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act (PATHWAY) to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection.
In 2011, Congresswoman Barbara Lee co-founded the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus along with Congressmen Jim McDermott and Trent Franks.
