The U.S. Senate's unanimous and decisive passage Monday (November 18th) night of legislation extending the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief for five more years gives hope to millions of people around the world still in need of services to prevent and treat HIV, renews a commitment to the most ambitious and effective health response this country has undertaken, and acknowledges the importance of this historic program to the American people.

"This assurance of continued United States leadership in the Global AIDS response is an important step forward in a challenging era," Dr. Kenneth Mayer, co-chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Center for Global Health Policy said Tuesday.

"This reinforcement of a strong sustained response to HIV worldwide is critical, and should inspire and invigorate action on the domestic epidemic as well," Dr. Joel Gallant, chair of the HIV Medicine Association, said.

More than 250 IDSA members, clinicians and researchers signed a letter in October urging Senators support of the bill.

The bipartisan bill, introduced in September by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) passed the senate by unanimous voice vote, and is expected to be taken up and passed by the House of Representatives today. In addition to extending authorization for Congress to fund PEPFAR, the legislation underscores broad support for program goals, calling for expanded reporting on prevention, care and treatment targets to reach people with HIV, as well as on efforts to confront HIV/TB co-infection, which takes 1,000 lives daily. The measure's focus on measurable gains provides affirmation and continuity as well of the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation released by the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator last World AIDS Day.