Backing President Bush, the House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly defeated Democrats' efforts to boost funds to fight the AIDS pandemic by shifting money from Bush's new foreign assistance program and anti-drug efforts in Colombia.
 
The House voted 226-195 against shifting $75 million from the U.S. led war on drugs in Colombia, funds mostly used for the destructive aerial fumigation of coca crops that are used to make cocaine. 
 
The vote was largely along party lines with the exception of 12 Republicans who voted to support and 17 Democrats who voted to oppose the amendment.  Democrats called the Colombia effort a failed use of around $3 billion in U.S. aid but Republicans said the program, which would get $731 million in the new foreign aid bill, was making progress.
 
The aerial fumigation funded by the U.S. damages all crops, including food, and has severe environmental and political consequences in a country already impoverished and plagued by civil strife.

You can see how your representative voted. Take the time to write to them - thanking those who voted for the amendment to stop the U.S. funding violence and destruction in Colombia and educating those who voted against.

If you don't know who your representative is, see:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/ 

To see the transcript of the debate, click here.