The bill marks a huge increase from the $15 billion authorized during the first five years in 2003. The bill extends President Bush's program called PEPFAR (President's Emergency Program For AIDS Relief) for another five years. The initiative would be the largest U.S. investment ever against a single disease.
U.S. funds could be used for HIV/AIDS testing and education in family planning clinics, but not for contraception or abortion services. The program currently supports life-saving treatment for nearly 1.5 million people, the White House said.
Initially focused on Vietnam, Guyana, Haiti and 12 African nations, the program will be expanded to include Malawi, Swaziland and Lesotho as well as some Caribbean nations.
However, the bill has received stark opposition from many critics who say that it was too expensive, BBC reports. The United Nations estimates that two-thirds of the 33m people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
