Ellen DeGeneres Named AIDS Envoy; US Pledges $60 Million In New Funding

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has announced $60 million in additional funding to fight AIDS transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, and a new special envoy to raise global awareness about the deadly disease: Ellen DeGeneres.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the actress will "bring her sharp wit and big heart, and her impressive TV audience and 8 million followers on Twitter" to support U.S. efforts to save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Clinton says the money will help scale up and assess new prevention strategies.

She said Tuesday that more effective prevention methods were driving infections down, making it possible to treat more people. She said that is allowing health campaigners for the first time to "get ahead of the pandemic," and make progress toward establishing an AIDS-free generation.

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Comments

[ynottonycom]

05:00 PM on 11/09/2011

Simply fantastic! Thank you Ellen for stepping up to the plate. You are a perfect representative of the Gay & Lesbian Community. Now if you teamed up with Oprah Winfrey – the two of you could rock this world & make it such a better place – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrr4_5jQoaM.

[senseilarry]

10:05 AM on 11/09/2011

Yes it sounds so nice and benevolent for the USA to do this. The question is WHY are we doing it? I'd like to know what the other African countries are contributing as well as other countries in the region. We need to take care of our own people here first and foremost. It's terrible, knowing fellow Americans are not getting aid for AIDS (no pun) but we can send money abroad. Are those nations promising something in return like some natural resources? I'm sure anyone here commenting about not wanting to spend the money feels uneasy about their honesty and I feel with you. How about Ellen hosting a show with the proceeds going to fund this? Or how about her 8,000,000 viewers writing checks if they feel so strongly about it. It's unconstitutional to do this anyway so the arguement ends there.

[jdlyon1948]

08:33 AM on 11/09/2011

Spoken like true Christians. Shame.

[aeb1957]

08:27 AM on 11/09/2011

This administration sure is doing a great job of mishandling other people's tax money. Guess all is "going as planned" though.

[Arno Schuechen]

09:45 AM on 11/09/2011

Proof that you have NO IDEA what's going on. Sad. And you have the right to vote?

[lowrodiay65]

07:30 AM on 11/09/2011

We never have a problem find enough money for overseas.

[swanderman]

06:59 AM on 11/09/2011

We're flat broke, fighting two unnecessary wars, will have to support 100's of thousands of disabled vets for the next 5 decades. Yet we can give a lesbian a $60 Million budget to fight a sexually transmitted decease in Africa ????? Hey tax payers, now you too know what it feels like to take it up the rump.

[Arno Schuechen]

09:46 AM on 11/09/2011

Thank God you are not a politician.

[banzaimaur]

06:34 AM on 11/09/2011

THIS.......is a great day for the world. Now that we have conquered all the forms of cancer, all childhood diseases and assorted other plagues we now find ourselves with $60M of spare cash that we can put toward finding a cure/prevention for what is, basically, a voluntary disease. What a great country!

What's that you say?!? The money isn't going to be used in the country that's spending it!?! Oh. Well at least Obama's brother may benefit......close enough.....I guess.

[Arno Schuechen]

09:47 AM on 11/09/2011

So typical American, ME ME ME. Who cares about others. And that in a land of Christians? So sick.

[banzaimaur]

07:25 PM on 11/09/2011

Here's a clue Arnot (intentional), (actually I'm an atheist), there are a lot of us "Americans" that are tired of taking care of the world and then being spit on, literally and figuratively. If you were to be completely honest, I suspect at some point along the line you have benefited from we "typical Americans," either directly or through your bloodline. That fool Bush 43 gave FIFTEEN BILLION DOLLARS to Africa for AIDS prevention. How much have you, or your parasite country, given? Yeah......I have gotten to the point that I do "care about others".......as long as they're Americans. We'll get to the rest of you when we have time.

[Dan Dolan]

03:08 PM on 11/08/2011

Over 8,000 Americans with HIV are on waiting lists to receive medication to treat their HIV! Why isn't this $60,000,000 MILLION dollars being used to help Americans? This past year over 700 people on waiting lists for medication died because of budget cuts and ignorance.

[shankapotomus]

06:12 PM on 11/08/2011

Its not his home country.

[Smarty5]

03:04 PM on 11/08/2011

Hmmm, Clooney must be busy.

[giatny]

02:45 PM on 11/08/2011

Obama continues his random walk to reelection at taxpayer expense. I think this amount is
still less than under Bush. It is a valid cause. My problem is that Obama keeps pulling
blank checks out of his back pocket to buy votes with our money. I don't support him, unions,
delinquent homeowners or young adults not paying student loans. As long as Obama
pursues his "through no fault of their own" philosophy at taxpayer expense, the economy
will never recover. If it's not "their" fault, it certainly isn't mine.

[Rickter]

02:34 PM on 11/08/2011

Yet we have our representatives in the US cutting funding for ADAP, aids drug assistance programs leaving thousands of our USA citizens on wating lists hoping to qualify for life saving drugs. How can we afford to help the rest of the world, while we let our own citizens suffer?

How about we focus on our needs for a change? I know there are problems elsewhere, but when I see my neighbor suffering, I wonder where our priorities are.

[Dan Dolan]

03:10 PM on 11/08/2011

I made a similar comment above. Over 8,000 Americans with HIV are on waiting lists to receive life saving HIV medication. Over 700 on waiting lists have died waiting for medication. Keep the MONEY HERE IN AMERICA.

[FOXYROSE]

02:00 PM on 11/08/2011

Just one question - where is the money coming from? We are flat out broke and yet there is no end in sight with spending abroad!

[Arno Schuechen]

09:48 AM on 11/09/2011

we are not broke. that;'s one thing

[FOXYROSE]

10:17 AM on 11/09/2011

What do you call 15 TRILLION in debt and more money going out than coming in?

[silkphoenix]

12:39 PM on 11/08/2011

While I do applaud such good deed. I also wish the Obama administration will pledge more funding for AIDS organizations in US as well. In recent months, many of these organizations' budgets have been cut which left many HIV/AIDS patients without essential medical assistance. And many rural HIV/AIDS service organizations have to be closed due to budget cuts.

[Waiting for Something]

01:32 PM on 11/08/2011

my thoughts exactly.

[lostnspace]

03:00 PM on 11/08/2011

Yes, I agree. In these lean economic times I feel we take care of our own first.

[calimom123]

04:00 PM on 11/08/2011

How about we properly tax the corporations and individuals and stop providing subsidies to Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big Agro? Then there's plenty to take care of this pressing need both here and Africa.