Elton John urges Congress to keep 'foot on the accelerator' with end of AIDS in sight

Elton John says the end of AIDS is within sight, urging Congress while appearing before a Senate committee to keep “our foot on the accelerator” and fund the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR.)

“We are living in deeply troubled times with countless global challenges — all of which I know beckon your time and attention. Given that, I am boundlessly grateful for the bipartisan cooperation that has been the hallmark of PEPFAR for two decades now,” the “Tiny Dancer” singer told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“While this effort was initially conceived of by President [George W. Bush,] it has been enthusiastically supported by four presidents and 10 Congresses, and consistently championed by the generosity of the American people,” he added.

John testified remotely before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s hearing, “PEPFAR at 20: Achieving and Sustaining Epidemic Control.”

The performer, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, said that prior to PEPFAR’s authorization in 2003, “much of Africa was in free fall,” with more than a quarter of a million people dying of AIDS each year.

“Thanks to PEPFAR, horror finally gave way to hope,” John said, crediting the initiative with saving 25 million lives.

“And the PEPFAR platform has not only transformed HIV into a chronic disease for tens of millions — it has been leveraged to fight [COVID-19] and made countries far better prepared for whatever viral nightmare comes next,” the 76-year-old Grammy Award winner said.

“But we are not done yet,” John, sporting a pair of pink-tinted glasses, said. “We have the tools we need to turn the tide and increasingly national leadership, capacity and ingenuity are taking what is good and making it better and more sustainable — but we need to keep our foot on the accelerator."

“By extending PEPFAR for another five years and fully funding it, together, we can continue the march toward ending AIDS for everyone everywhere and leave no one behind,” he said.

It’s not the first time that the music superstar has made an appeal to lawmakers about funding to fight HIV and AIDS. John testified in 2015 before a Senate appropriations subcommittee. In February, John joined Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-Ga.) in a visit to Johannesburg to discuss PEPFAR.

Chairman Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.) praised John at Wednesday’s hearing, saying, “Some people use their fame in a way that only inures to themselves. Others use their fame in a way that saves the lives of others.”

“And in your case,” Menéndez told John, “that has certainly been the case.”