Senator Jeff Bingaman attached a significant chunk of change for Indian Country to the HIV/Aids Bill that the Senate passed yesterday.

The bill, which gives $48 billion in foreign aid over the next five years for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria treatment and prevention, triples the amount of previous U.S. aid authorized in 2003. The New York Times describes it as the most "ambitious foreign public health program ever developed by the United States."

Bingaman’s amendment authorizes $2 billion for Indian communities: $1 billion to be used specifically to settle Indian water rights claims; $750 million for law enforcement; and the remaining $250 million for health care.

“This bill would help bring focus on the important issue of settling Indian water rights claims. We have several claims in New Mexico that are close to being settled and this bill would help Congress pay to implement those agreements,” Bingaman said in a press release.

Bingaman also co-sponsored a provision allow people with AIDS/HIV to immigrate to or visit the United States. The press release from Bingaman’s office calls it a "long standing discriminatory policy" and notes that the United States is one of only 12 countries with similar provisions, including Iraq, Libya, Russia and Sudan.

The House passed a similar bill in April. Once the two are reconciled, they go to President Bush for a signature. Bush supports the bill, and is given credit for the health program by Senate Democrats. According to the Times, Democratic Senator Joe Biden said the AIDS program is “the single most significant thing the president has done.”