AIDS PANEL TO CLINTON: LEADERSHIP IS LACKING

In its second progress report, the Presidential Council on HIV/AIDS
criticizes the Clinton administration for failing to demonstrate a
"coherent plan of action" against AIDS, despite the abundance of evidence
indicating the effectiveness of preventative efforts.

Specifically, the panel reports that funding for prevention is inadequate
compared to the cost of medical care; too few Americans have access to
effective medical treatments; and the White House has failed to expand
Medicaid to cover all lowincome people in the early stages of HIV infection.

The panel also urged the administration to encourage removal of the ban on
federal funding for needleexchange programs.

In response to the report, Sandra Thurmandirector of the Office of
National AIDS Policyattributed the "sense of diminished priority for AIDS
issues" to the fact that the Clinton administration's greatest strides
occurred in the first term.

In fact, overall funding for federal AIDS research has risen since Clinton
took office in 1993.