Pop star Elton John urges US Congress to keep 'foot on the accelerator' in AIDS fight


Elton John leaves the High Court in London, Britain March 27, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British pop star Elton John urged U.S. senators on Wednesday not to ease up on the fight against HIV and AIDS, as Congress faces a September deadline for reauthorizing the multi-billion-dollar U.S. program to fight the disease.

"There is no better symbol of American greatness than PEPFAR, and you should all be very proud of your extraordinary efforts," John, whose foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fight AIDS, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on reauthorizing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) via videolink.

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