[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 5, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Cunningham) who has a record of his own that we all know and we 
are very proud of what he has done to preserve democracy in this 
country and his serving. The gentleman's humility in yielding is just a 
testament to his concern. I thank the gentleman very much.
  Mr. Speaker, let me say that we stand here at a crossroads right now. 
Millions of people all over the world are in the wake of a humanitarian 
disaster to pale all others. It makes the black plague of the Middle 
Ages look like small things. HIV and AIDS is a global killer. As 
ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Africa and as a human being 
who has seen with my own eyes the havoc HIV and AIDS is wreaking on an 
entire continent of Africa, I simply am compelled to speak out not only 
in Africa, but now in India, a nation that will have the largest 
population in the world in the next few years, even exceeding that of 
the People's Republic of China. It will have perhaps 1.5 billion 
people, surpassing China's 1.3 to 4 billion people.

                              {time}  1830

  It is spreading there and India. It is spreading in China, and so it 
is something that is all around us; but I think that if we can deal 
with it in Africa, I think that what we learned there can actually be 
used in India where it has not yet taken hold as it has in Africa. And 
it has taken hold in Africa because the world has been silent on it, as 
we have seen, as devastation through the years, year in and year out, 
since 1988 when HIV and AIDS was first encountered in this country.
  In January's State of the Union address, President Bush announced a 
new initiative to combat HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean. This initiative 
would give $15 billion for fighting HIV and AIDS in Africa and the 
Caribbean, including $10 billion, what President Bush called ``new 
money.''
  This initiative, and the fact that 10 percent of Bush's speech at the 
State of the Union address was spent on discussing Africa, certainly 
marks a new day and a new pledge of a new commitment by the 
administration to pay more attention to the needs of the African 
continent. We do have concerns about this new money and where it will 
come from.
  While child-survival funding for Africa increased in the President's 
2004 budget request by about $80 million to the $542 million, this 
largely reflects the increase in the HIV and AIDS funding. Meanwhile, 
almost all other African aid was significantly decreased. For example, 
democracy conflict and humanitarian assistance will be cut by $25 
million in the 2004 budget if the President's request is agreed upon by 
Congress.
  This is at a time when the U.S. is urging for sound policies and for 
governments to demonstrate they are fighting corruption and ruling 
justly in order to receive part of the $1.3 billion from the Millennium 
Challenge Account next year. How can we hold governments accountable 
for making progress in these areas and simultaneously cutting the 
funding that has aided these activities toward reaching these goals? It 
does not add up.
  We must fight HIV and AIDS, yes; but we must not rob from Peter to 
pay Paul. Child survival is important. Democracy and good governance 
are important, and in a day when the administration wages its war 
against terrorism, the administration is seeking to cut military and 
security aid by 23 percent in Africa, a $130 million cut, as well as 
peacekeeping aid in Africa by nearly 50 percent. Is the $75 million 
increase in HIV and AIDS a result of the cuts in other line items?
  If we are serious about combating the most lethal killer we have 
known, we must integrate our efforts in other areas. We cannot stem the 
tide of HIV if we are cutting aid to agriculture, trade and investment 
or democracy programs. HIV affects all other sectors of society, not 
only health. Therefore, we have to combat the effects HIV has had on 
all of the areas, and we should not move towards cutting aid in those 
areas to fight HIV and AIDS, because it is all together.
  I once again commend the administration for its effort, and we look 
forward to working with the administration in this new dedicated war 
against HIV and AIDS.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the 
opportunity to be here tonight, and I want to especially thank my good 
friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and applaud my CBC 
colleagues for their hard work in bringing us together here tonight to 
talk about the HIV pandemic.
  The global fight against HIV/AIDS is important to U.S. security 
interests because the disease has proven to be a significant 
destabilizing force in much of the developing world. It has removed 
many of the most productive members from society and devastated the 
social, political and economic infrastructures of those countries 
hardest hit.
  Mr. Speaker, today, the chance of a 15-year-old African girl making 
it to the age of 60 is 52 percent. By 2010, it will be about a 30 
percent chance. This will have a sizeable impact on the future of 
African society. With this kind of outlook for African youth, 
investment in education and economic advancement practically become 
non-issues.
  In January, President Bush proposed spending $15 billion over five 
years to fight global HIV-AIDS. The plan would commit $3 billion a year 
for five years to global AIDS reduction, including $200 million a year 
for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
  I understand that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up 
the legislation very soon. The House International Relations Committee 
will consider a comparable bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that this boost in spending is not a fait 
accompli. We must fight to ensure that Congress commits to the increase 
in Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria while 
preventing politics from intruding on decisions about health care.
  The purpose of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 
Malaria is to attract, manage and disburse additional resources for 
health through a new public-private partnership. It is hoped that this 
will make a sustainable and significant contribution to the reduction 
of infections, illness and death and thereby mitigate the impact caused 
by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in countries in need, and 
contribute to poverty reduction as part of the Millennium Development 
Goals.
  Mr. Speaker, We still have a long way to go to raise awareness about 
the disease and to ensure that Nations have the resources to implement 
proven prevention and treatment programs. We must do more to help those 
countries to combat these deadly diseases.
  We must commit ourselves to doing more, and I hope that this Congress 
can make that commitment, and I strongly urge the President of the 
United States to do the same for the Global Fund.

                          ____________________