The committee also addressed the problem of social barriers. It noted that the federal government planned to spend money on abstinence programs without any evidence that they worked. On the other hand, safe-sex education has proven to have an effect.
The committee also recommended that all laws and policies preventing the use of proven preventive strategies be abolished. They particularly cited federal, state and local requirements preventing public funds from being used for safe-sex education.
In fiscal year 1999, the federal government spent approximately $775 million on HIV and AIDS --8 percent of the federal budget for HIV/AIDS programs.
Fineberg notes that the committee's work had been released around election season, in time to alert the next occupant of the Oval Office to the issue's importance.