Yes, the President did highlight (albeit briefly) the fight against global poverty and AIDS during his State of the Union. He called on Congress to:
1) fully fund the Millennium Challenge Account,
2) reform U.S. food aid by allowing a portion of assistance to be purchased in developing countries themselves
3) work towards a successful completion to the Doha "Development" round of trade talks at the WTO.
He also repeated his proposal to double our investments in PEPFAR and U.S. Global AIDS programs.
Below is an excerpt from the transcript of the State of the Union, and here's a link to Bread for the World's response:
Remarks of President George W. Bush - January 28, 2008
“....America is leading the fight against global poverty, with strong education initiatives and humanitarian assistance. We have also changed the way we deliver aid by launching the Millennium Challenge Account. This program strengthens democracy, transparency, and the rule of law in developing nations, and I ask you to fully fund this important initiative.
America is leading the fight against global hunger. Today, more than half the world’s food aid comes from the United States. And tonight, I ask the Congress to support an innovative proposal to provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from farmers in the developing world, so we can build up local agriculture and help break the cycle of famine.
America is leading the fight against disease. With your help, we are working to cut by half the number of malaria-related deaths in 15 African nations. And our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is treating 1.4 million people. We can bring healing and hope to many more. So I ask you to maintain the principles that have changed behavior and made this program a success. And I call on you to double our initial commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS by approving an additional $30 billion over the next 5 years.”
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