Photo by Bill Frist

@senatorbillfrist · June 17, 2026

15K Likes

184 Comments

A multiple Grammy-winning music legend walked into the U.S. Senate and didn’t sing a word. He testified. On April 11, 2002, Elton John came before the Senate HELP Committee, on which I served, and spoke not about politics, but about people. What AIDS was taking from them. What America could help give back. “We have not done nearly enough,” he said. He was right. The next year, Republicans and Democrats came together to create PEPFAR. Since then, more than 26 million lives have been saved. But the work is not done. In 2024, 630,000 people still died from HIV-related causes. The tools exist. The programs work. The funding has been appropriated. Now we have to deliver. Elton and I wrote in @usatoday with a simple message: we can end AIDS. Read it. Share it. Link in bio. 📸: Reuters / Win McNamee / Bridgeman Images

People in this post

Co-authors and accounts tagged in the frame.

David Furnish@davidfurnishCo-author

Elton John@eltonjohnCo-author

Elton John AIDS Foundation@ejafCo-author

USA TODAY Opinion@usatodayopinionTagged

Comments

A preview Instagram ships with the post — 15 of 184 public comments.

@andreareis.oficial 👏👏👏👏Congrats

September 8, 2026 · 1 likes

@nidjaangelica 👏👏👏👏

September 3, 2026 · 1 likes

@gilvania_gvmm_22 ❤️🙌👏❤️👏😍❤️🙌👏❤️😍👏❤️😍👏🔥🙌❤️🙌🔥👏👏❤️❤️❤️

August 12, 2026

@juancarlos353_ 👌🔥

August 7, 2026

@2e.media.design Elton's energy and talent inspired me as a schoolboy to become a composer and a poet too! For that, Elton, I owe my deepest gratitude! His songs inspired, inspired, and made me think and reflect!!!

August 2, 2026