2018

Home ▶ Washington Letter ▶ 2018 ▶ Over 100 U.S. Representatives Join Bipartisan Letter Urging Strong U.S. Leadership at UN TB Meeting
Over 100 U.S. Representatives Join Bipartisan Letter Urging Strong U.S. Leadership at UN TB Meeting

This week, 106 House Representatives joined a bipartisan letter to the President authored by the House Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus urging strong U.S. leadership at the first-ever United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis on Sept. 26, 2018. In the letter, the Caucus -- co-chaired by Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Gene Green (D-TX) and Don Young (R-AK) -- urge the U.S. government to address the following priorities at the meeting:

  1. Close gaps in TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention;
  2. Ensure efforts to end TB are equitable and respect human rights, especially those of marginalized populations,
  3. Accelerate development of affordable new tools to end TB, such as vaccines, low-cost rapid diagnostic tests, and shorter, less toxic treatments,
  4. Invest the funds necessary to end TB
  5. Commit to decisive and accountable global leadership, including regular UN reporting and review
The key outcome of the UN meeting will be the signing of a political declaration committing countries to these goals. In their letter, the Caucus co-chairs also urge the President to ensure that the U.S. delegation illustrates the prioritization of TB across the U.S. government through attendance of high-level agency officials, representatives from cities and states with high TB burdens, TB programs, health care providers, representatives from civil society, and Americans affected by TB. View the U.S. House of Representatives letter to see if your Representative signed it to support U.S. leadership on TB. If they did sign, send an email to thank them!

A similar bipartisan letter is currently being circulated in the U.S. Senate for senators to sign, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Todd Young (R-IN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

Action Alert - Support US Leadership & Action to Halt TB Pandemic
Contact Your Senators to Urge Them to Sign Bipartisan Letter Supporting TB Leadership
Click here to make a phone call to your two senators by August 24 to urge them to sign the TB letter. 
Last Reviewed: August 10, 2018