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April 19 (UPI) -- Elton John joined a Senate hearing virtually on Wednesday to advocate for continued support for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, or PEPFAR. The singer, who has long advocated for addressing AIDS, urged Congress to help keep "our foot on the accelerator," saying the effort has helped millions suffering because of the stigma of AIDS.
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"We are living in deeply troubled times with countless global challenges -- all of which I know beckon your time and attention," John said. "Given that, I am boundlessly grateful for the bipartisan cooperation that has been the hallmark of PEPFAR for two decades now."
PEPFAR was first proposed by former President George W. Bush during his 2003 State of the Union address. He promised $15 billion for the program to stem the spread of the deadly disease in Africa and the Caribbean.
"In the face of preventable death and suffering, we have a moral duty to act," Bush said at a ceremony at the U.S. State Department in 2003. "I will challenge our partners and our friends to follow our lead and to make a similar commitment made by the United States of America so we can save even more lives."
At the time, Bush's proposal was considered too ambitious, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2013, former President Barack Obama pledged as much as $5 billion to the program if other donor countries put up $10 billion.
"The United States will contribute $1 for every $2 pledged by other donors over the next three years, up to $5 billion total from the United States," Obama said in remarks recognizing World AIDS Day. "And the United Kingdom has made a similar promise."
During his World AIDS Day remarks, Obama called Bush's PEPFAR a "phenomenal" program that has helped millions of people around the globe receive lifesaving treatment.
Obama also announced the National Institutes of Health would invest $100 million in re-prioritized funding to launch a new initiative to find a cure for human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.
In February this year, the program celebrated its 20th anniversary, with Fauci commending the efforts that Bush made.
"I would rank PEPFAR as right at the top of the things that I feel that, when I leave the world and think back about what I've done, that I feel good about," Fauci said as he commended Bush. "He's a man of incredible integrity, number one, and of phenomenal empathy for those throughout the world who are suffering."
To date, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has provided more than $100 billion to support antiretroviral treatment for 20.1 million people, saving lives around the world, according to the U.S. State Department, which runs the program.
On Wednesday John, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, said the program has also proved useful in fighting other viruses.
"And the PEPFAR platform has not only transformed HIV into a chronic disease for tens of millions -- it has been leveraged to fight [COVID-19] and made countries far better prepared for whatever viral nightmare comes next," John said. "By extending PEPFAR for another five years and fully funding it, together, we can continue the march toward ending AIDS for everyone everywhere and leave no one behind."
