Obama Budget Bans Federal Funding For Needle Exchange, Breaking Campaign Pledge

[katandmoon]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/07/obama-budget-bans-federal_n_199436.html

President Obama's budget released Thursday takes a step backward from a controversial political position he had taken during the presidential campaign.

Obama, during the primary campaign, pledged his support of needle exchange programs to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. When he took over the White House, the administration website affirmed: "The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users."

Yet Obama's budget includes language that bans spending federal money on needle-exchange programs.

Very disappointing. But after months of backpedaling on other progressive promises, not surprising.

[Colobo]

1. This program can be dealt with later. Some cuts have to be made at this moment.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Why? This Would Save A Fortune!

Treating AIDS victims costs a lot more than distributing syringes. Also, it's the right thing to do, no?

[Colobo]

5. It is the right thing to do, but I do understand why they would cut it now.

Maybe the Obama Adm. will deal with this when the economy is in better shape.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. But It Would Save A Hell Of A Lot Of Money!

No?

[Colobo]

7. It would, definitely. It's also the humane thing to do.

[friedgreentomatoes]

53. Not to say a few lives n/t

[Baby Snooks]

21. When will he help the homeless?

I just get sick of reading this blind support of a president who has yet to keep one promise to those who put him in office.

Trillions for Wall Street. While he shoots the bird at Main Street.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

22. "Has yet to keep one promise to those who put them in office."

Really?

I'm not thrilled with everything Obama has done. I'm disappointed in some things he has failed to do. But that statement is a bit much.

[Baby Snooks]

26. Maybe but it's the truth...

Name one thing he's done that he said he would do...

[SemiCharmedQuark]

32. Signed SCHIP, Signed Ledbetter, Support for High Speed Rail, Reversed Stem Cell restrictions...

If you say that these are not important to the people that put him in office, well..I voted for him and they are very important to me.

[Baby Snooks]

41. Wow...

He signed bills Congress passed that Congress would have passed if McCain had been elected president.

Obama rescinded an order banning funding for stem-cell research. But Congress had added a provision at one point called Dickey-Wicker that actually prevents the funding.

Did Congress repeal Dickey-Wicker or extend it? It doesn't look like Congress repealed it. It looks like Congress has extended it. As far as I know there's not one dime, not one penny, in the budget for stem-cell research. The order didn't matter. Dickey-Wicker mattered.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

46. So Obama is only involved when congress fails to pass legislation?

Congress acts completely on their own when they pass good legislation, but when they don't pass legislation, it's Obama's fault?

[Occam Bandage]

48. So it's not to Obama's credit when he pushes for and signs good legislation,

but it is Obama's fault when he pushes for and signs otherwise-good legislation that does not include a particular bit of language he claims he wants to put in another bill.

[hileeopnyn8d]

63. Dickey-Wicker

does not prevent all funding. It only prevents the use of funding to create new stem cell lines.

It does not prevent researchers from using federal funds for work using new stem cell lines created from state and private sources.

The Bush ban did that, that's why Obama rescinded it.

The scientific community sees it as a positive, why can't you?

[bvar22]

73. He escalated the WAR in Afghanistan.

One promise I was hoping he would break.

[MannyGoldstein]

54. When They Work For Goldman Sachs n/t

[Old Hank]

39. Was it necessary to remove the promise from the WH website?

I think that if the goal is to do this later, the language stating that Obama supports the repeal of this ban should not have been removed from the WH website.

From the Huffington Post article: "The White House website no longer features the president's support of the program."

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

47. But Rahmbo didn't say that. The spokesperson said unequivocally that the president supports the leg

[firedupdem]

56. Grifters?

What an idiotic comment...makes one wonder why you are even posting here.

[snowdays]

70. yeah, later ---like repealing DADT!!

[babylonsister]

2. Aren't you a surprise. What did you think of the budget otherwise? nt

[Baby Snooks]

29. I know you didn't ask me...

But I'll tell you anyway what I think. Trillions more for Wall Street. Paid for by the fools on Main Street who will be passing the bill on to their children and grandchildren. But ain't it grand having a Democrat in the White House?

[vaberella]

31. Did you get a copy of the 'language' that bans this process?!

Because I don't see it.

[babylonsister]

37. You're full of it. You missed the war budget, pros and cons.

Trying to help!

[vaberella]

33. baby did you get the language?! I see someone quoting someone on it.

But no one seems to have seen it yet. Plus we know the world of nitpickers.

[babylonsister]

38. No, I didn't, and haven't looked.

There's so many things to be concerned about, but this ain't it. :)

[Thrill]

4. I haven't seen him backpedeling on other progressive promises

If anything he's been pushing ahead with a ton of them. The whole fucking budget is a progressive agenda. More than I would of imagined in a few months.

And this is something that can be changed with an executive order.

[democrattotheend]

69. I agree

He's broken a few promises that have been disappointing, but for the most part, I've been surprised that he hasn't disappointed me more. And this budget looks very good overall...more progressive than I expected. This is a bummer, but I could have lived without the OP's commentary about how Obama keeps breaking progressive promises, because he has been more progressive so far than I expected.

[BlooInBloo]

8. I'm sorry your horse lost.

Oh wait - no I'm not.

[Dragonfli]

Give it a rest boo boo. The Op mentioned nothing about a horse, Only you.

Sorry if he failed your personal loyalty test. I didn't know this was an exam.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. "Other progressive promises". Hmmmm.

The president may be well advised to drift away from the "true progressives" (in their own mind), at this point. Big Eddie quoted some stats the other day, and if he's correct there's about 15% far leftists in the country, and about an equal number of extremists on the right. The president will never satisfy these extremes, so I think it's best that he concentrate his efforts on the mainstream who elected him.

I have to give credit to the extremes of both parties, because they are the activists, and are more likely to drown out the more moderate, measured voices in both parties. The president should take a look at the current state of the GOP for the perfect example of how not to govern. The fringes of the party cannot be allowed to derail his agenda, and he'll maintain his approval with the 2/3 of the country who aren't rabid idealogues.

[Clio the Leo]

12. ding ding ding! Post of the day! NT

[Undercurrent]

14. The simple truth.

Thanks!

[firedupdem]

16. Word! n/t

[depakid]

24. Just what happened in 1993-94

with wondrous results.

Needle exchange programs- like many other progressive policies are RATIONAL approaches to public policy that solve problems using and evidence based approach.

Not that I would expect folks who think in terms of shallow right and left or the so called "moderate" to understand anything like that. They'd rather whinge about ideology.

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. Get over yourself. I hope, since you're fair & balanced, that you read the...

entire article, and not just the excerpts provided by the o.p. For the record, the president is not against this program, and I have no doubt it will be funded. He knows, firsthand, which community a program like this is likely to benefit. I just hate misleading excerpts, especially for those who won't bother to read the entire article, before piling on.

[depakid]

40. Just sayin' that what occurred in 1993-94 led to activists staying home

The same thing could easily happen in 2010 by playing the so called "moderate" game.

[Tarheel_Dem]

44. This is not 1993-94, and Obama ain't Bill Clinton. Prez Obama managed

to engage a whole new generation who aren't as "liberal" as their parents. I see it in my own family. So any suggestion that Dems will lose without the idealogues is just false, IMHO. President Obama managed to turn my red state blue, and trust me, it wasn't because of far left activists; we probably have two in the whole state.

He built an unbelievable coalition, I know this because I phonebanked with moderate Republicans who had never voted for a Democrat in their lives, so I'm not really all that worried about the extremes. They will become more and more marginalized as time goes on. If the rightwing, with all it's corporate backing & media consolidation, can't put a dent in the President's approval numbers, a few hotheads from the far left certainly won't.

[depakid]

51. Hopefully, you won't have to live and learn like 94

Much can happen over the course of 18 months- and politcal dynamics don't changed even though neophytes who can't see past labeling ideologies may not believe it.

[HopeOverFear]

27. 14.9% of those far leftists post here on DU

:rofl:

[Bluenorthwest]

65. All due respect...and I do think Obama will fund this at some

point...but this is an issue that I have worked on for like 20 years now. The idea of needle exchange, which will save many lives that do not use needles, would not even be on the radar of the President or Congress if it were not for those who are willing to stand up and shout about unpopular ideas.
When I first started promotiing needle exchange, it was seen as an insane and radical pro-drug concept. I mean, it is hard to understand now, but anything AIDs related was a huge taboo, when one added the IV drug issues to the discussion, even the gay community would get upset. No one wanted to talk about needle exchange.
Back then I helped get info to a friend overseas who started a program with the help of her local police. We still have not done that here.
20 years of bein'n a loud mouth 'extremist' to get the discussion this far. And today, HIV/AIDs is still the number one killer of African American women aged 24-35, and most of them get it from having sex with men, who get if from either sex with me on the DL or from shooting drugs with dirty needles.
So one day, when black women are not dying from AIDS at a rate 21 times higher than white women, you will have what you call 'rabid idealgues' to thank for that.

[Tarheel_Dem]

76. And with all due respect to you, I have worked in healthcare for the past...

30 years, so I know about this issue, intimately. Like everyone else in the world, HIV/AIDS has touched my family as well, so my initial post wasn't as much about the issue of needle exchange as it was a rebuke of the o.p. and his/her selective quotes from the article, and the desire to paint the president as uncaring.

As I stated in another post, having learned on the streets of Chicago as a community organizer, there is no way that President Obama won't champion this issue. But, I take exception to ANYONE trying to settle some old political score with the president on an issue this important.

[snowdays]

71. It is PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.

[bvar22]

77. There are NO "Far Leftists" in the Democratic Party....

...or at DU.
In my years at DU, I have never observed a legitimate member call for the confiscation of Private Property and having the citizens organized into collectives.
There is a BIG MAJORITY at DU who support the policies of Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kucinich, which resembles a European mix of Capitalism/Socialism, which is more Moderate than "Far Left".

OTOH, there ARE Democrats who have supported the Unitary Executive, the Patriot Act, and Rule by the Corporations which CAN be considered Extreme Right, though they call themselves "Centrists".

[Clio the Leo]

11. Here's how this works......

..... if you want one program saved, you have to pay for it by cutting another. So, what are you suggesting he cut to pay for the needle exchange program?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

17. He didn't cut the program, he just didn't use his budget to remove the ban.

[Clio the Leo]

19. But it still has to be paid for. NT

[AtomicKitten]

13. He hasn't done it -- yet. Do keep us posted on the level of your disappointment. n/t

[vaberella]

34. Thank you. Finally someone seeing what I also haven't seen.

Obama hasn't done anything yet and I still haven't seen the language that states there even is a ban.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

36. There is a ban already on the books. Obama could have put the needle exchange money in his budget

thereby getting around this ban without congress separately voting on it. He didn't do that though, his spokesperson said that the president still supports needle exchange, but did not want to remove the ban via budget.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. The needle exchange program is critical.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

15. He says the president still supports the program but wants to change the ban through legislation

"We have not removed the ban in our budget proposal because we want to work with Congress and the American public to build support for this change," he said. "We are committed to doing this as part of a National HIV/AIDS strategy and are confident that we can build support for these scientifically-based programs."

[Tarheel_Dem]

20. There's a four paragraph limit. Oh wait, the o.p. only posted three paragraphs.

I wonder why said o.p. didn't highlight this little gem? Agenda?

[firedupdem]

23. It certainly looks that way. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

25. Wow. What an OP fail.

[Politicalboi]

18. If he only legalized Marijuana

We wouldn't have to worry about cutting things like this. The ball is in his court.

[HopeOverFear]

28. This is one of those "A-HA SEE ? SEE? WE GOT HIM NOW" posts

laaaaaame. :eyes:

[vaberella]

30. Can I see the language that supposedly "bans" needle exchange?! n/t

[onetwo]

49. The ban is there. Page 795 of the budget. Same language as it's always been.

"SEC. 505. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no funds
appropriated in this Act shall be used to carry out any program of distributing
sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic injection of any illegal
drug."

Every time Obama goes around Congress, he burns a little bit more political capital. This budget is a major, major shift -- not worth it to jeopardize the big picture by trying to win the (relatively) tiny battles.

[vaberella]

59. For you to say that, says to me that you don't know how to win the "big picture."

I wish you could take my Urban Planning class because my professor who's pretty renowned would laugh at you for not understanding beating the system so things can get done. The president shares power...he's not God. You and so many others bash Bush for doing EXACTLY what you want O to do in only 3 months. It makes no damn sense to me.

You'll NEVER get what you want if you were in power if that is the way you're thinking. Because you'd bee seen as a fool with no vision. You have to do the little things, get the support and the movement, momentum going by the win which targets the main issue. After that you'd have gained a solid footing to making the final change. If you don't get that, you don't have a clue and I'd just recommend you sit there and whinge because that's all you can get done.

I'm not trying to be harsh...but seriously...your last statement is laughable if not just plain disappointing.

[HopeOverFear]

67. ****Standing Ovation****

[onetwo]

68. Making real the big picture requires that you know when to push and when to concede...

...and pushing to lift a 20 year ban on taxpayer money being spent on buying needles for drug addicts in your first budget when the opposition is already painting you as a reckless spender makes very little sense.

I agree with your strategy on getting things done. However, you will have to explain to me how reinstating federal funding for needle exchange programs by forcing it into a document as large as the budget does anything to "get support" or "build a movement" towards making the final change.

[onetwo]

42. After coming through big time on health, energy, and education, no needle exch and Obama sucks?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

[Occam Bandage]

43. I don't think "didn't fix everything in one particular bill" is breaking a promise. nt

[onetwo]

50. The language is the same as it has always been. This budget is a win for progressives...

...the fact that he didn't settle this particular item on his first opportunity does not mean that he's guilty of "breaking a campaign pledge." In getting this budget passed, the last thing Obama needed was to have to explain why he was lifting a 20 year ban that prevents taxpayer money from being spent to buy syringes for drug users. (Do you believe that the Republicans wouldn't have shamelessly exploited this issue?)

[LittleBlue]

52. An issue I don't care about, really.

Not that important, imo.

[high density]

55. He also took a shit today that really stunk up the bathroom

I thought he made a pledge to only make shits that smelled like roses!

[dionysus]

57. i find myself with a lack of outrage on this. holy shit are you guys desperately grasping at straws

:rofl:

[Bluenorthwest]

62. Well some of us have been attempting to change things for

two full decades now. Here is a factoid for ya to roll on the ground laughing about:

Today, women account for one out of every four new HIV cases in the U.S. Of these newly infected women, about two out of three are African American. Most of these women got HIV from having sex with a man.

AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African American women ages 25-34. African American women are over 21 times as likely to die from HIV/AIDS as non-Hispanic white women.

21 times as likely to die. Leading cause of death, getting it from men who use drugs or have the down low life. Everyday, innocent people become sick and die to maintain this status quo. Needle exchange is an important tool in the battle to save lives.

I know. It is just hilarious!

[dionysus]

64. the article states;

"We have not removed the ban in our budget proposal because we want to work with Congress and the American public to build support for this change," he said. "We are committed to doing this as part of a National HIV/AIDS strategy and are confident that we can build support for these scientifically-based programs."

He added, "In recent years, Washington has used the budget process to litigate divisive issues and score political points. This practice, which both sides have engaged in, has limited our ability to tackle our major economic challenges. President Obama decided not to play politics as usual with this budget and while he remains committed to supporting the program he wants to address that through the normal legislative process."


so yes, the OP is trying to play some "gotcha" bullshit..

[Bluenorthwest]

66. Forgive me if I see this issue as being about

needle exchange and the lives saved by such programs and not about the schoolyard bickerings of DUers. Any opprotunity to get the truth out is a fine one for me. I'm talking about facts. Not about games.
I think Obama will fund this eventually, but it has taken 20 years to get this far, and every day is someone's death. So that is what I'm talking about. Fight amongst yourselves if you wish. For me this is just one exchange in a very long and ongoing educational process that is finally getting to the point of sucess. Who cares who's saying what why? Those who don't know the facts need to learn them, and consider acting accodingly. At long loving last.

[Politicub]

58. I'm against unfunded mandates - President Obama should be consistent with his positions and funding

Needle exchange will save lives and is worthty of federal dollars to support it. It's not enough to pay lip service to causes without backing them up with funding to bring them to life.

I hope this get put back in.

[TheWraith]

60. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN.

But after months of complaining every hour on the hour that Obama was an evil horrible person bent on screwing progressives, your credibility is waning.

[Bluenorthwest]

61. I invite those who think this is not important

to look up some numbers and see whose lives are saved by needle exchange. Not just the lives of users, but the lives of their unwitting sexual partners.
It is a factor that helps us keep our stats in a state of shame. I hope to see them change this law at once, for each and every day people die to keep the status quo. Look up who those people are, and some of your apathy might melt away. They might be your very own family.

[snowdays]

72. UPDATE: DC passes a people's Referendum but Pres. Obama nullifies it.........

UMMMMM....NOT GOOD IMHO.

So, DC passes a people's Referendum but Pres. Obama nullifies it.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/07/obama-budget-bans-federal_n_199436.html


.............Obama's budget also includes a provision known as the "Barr Amendment," which prevents the District of Columbia from implementing a medical marijuana law that voters passed in an overwhelming referendum. Obama has pledged not to use Department of Justice resources to raid medical marijuana clinics in states where it is legal.

UPDATE: The Center for Global Health Policy writes in, noting that Obama also underfunded the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which funds a wide variety of prevention efforts, including needle exchange in Eastern Europe, where drug addiction and HIV/AIDS rates are both soaring:

Another major disappointment for global health advocates is the Obama proposal for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Countries rely on the Fund, in particular, for funding for tuberculosis programs, and so far the Fund has also provided over $600 million for health system strengthening. The Global Fund requested $2.7 billion from the US for 2010, but the Administration is proposing only $900 million, the same level as 2009. Unless Congress goes above the Administration's proposal, the US will miss a major opportunity to use the Fund to leverage more donations from Spain, Germany, and other countries, and AIDS, TB and malaria programs will be stalled.

[Qutzupalotl]

74. You mean Bob Barr nullifies it.

And since when have you ever had a HO? :hi:

[firedupdem]

75. Really!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8397982