House votes for
more international AIDS funds than Bush requested

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to boost spending on international AIDS outreach to $2.7 billion, $131 million more than President Bush requested. The money was part of a $20.3 billion foreign aid bill approved by lawmakers on a 393-32 vote. Part of the additional funds for AIDS programs came from a $1.25 billion cut to Bush's funding request for the Millennium Challenge Account, a program that gives countries extra money if they pursue political, economic, and human rights reforms. Bush had asked for $3 billion for the program, but House members voted to provide the program $1.75 billion. The Senate has yet to write its version of the foreign aid bill.