[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1894-H1902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5501, TOM LANTOS AND HENRY J. HYDE
UNITED STATES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AGAINST HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, AND
MALARIA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I
call up House Resolution 1065 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1065
Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this
resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule
XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of
the bill (H.R. 5501) to authorize appropriations for fiscal
years 2009 through 2013 to provide assistance to foreign
countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and
for other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be
dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of
the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10
of rule XXI. General debate shall be confined to the bill and
shall not exceed two hours equally divided and controlled by
the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs. After general debate the bill shall be
considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. The bill
shall be considered as read. All points of order against
provisions of the bill are waived. Notwithstanding clause 11
of rule XVIII, no amendment to the bill shall be in order
except those printed in the report of the Committee on Rules
accompanying this resolution. Each such amendment may be
offered only in the order printed in the report, may be
offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be
considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified
in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent
and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment,
[[Page H1895]]
and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the
question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All
points of order against such amendments are waived except
those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. At the
conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the
Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with
such amendments as may have been adopted. The previous
question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and
amendments thereto to final passage without intervening
motion except one motion to recommit with or without
instructions.
Sec. 2. During consideration in the House of H.R. 5501
pursuant to this resolution, notwithstanding the operation of
the previous question, the Chair may postpone further
consideration of the bill to such time as may be designated
by the Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Salazar). The gentleman from
Massachusetts is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-
Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for
debate only. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also ask
unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days within
which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1065.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1065 provides for the
consideration of H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United
States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Reauthorization Act of 2008, a structured rule. The rule provides for 2
hours of general debate and makes in order four amendments, each of
which is debatable for 10 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, all Members of this House should be very proud of the
bipartisan collaboration and careful compromises that have resulted in
the underlying bill before us today, H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and
Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act. I wish to express my
appreciation to the work of the gentleman from New Jersey, Congressman
Donald Payne, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global
Health, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Chris Smith, as well as House
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. And, like all of my House colleagues on both sides
of the aisle, I am grateful that the committee named this bill after
the great leaders of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairmen Tom Lantos
and Henry Hyde, who guided the original 2003 act into law. May the
collegial spirit of these two great champions for global health guide
us all during today's debate.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5501 would authorize $50 billion over the next 5
years for U.S. global programs that address the prevention, care, and
treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It strengthens,
sustains, and expands a program that is universally recognized as one
of the shining accomplishments of the Bush administration.
The challenge for this reauthorization is to move our HIV/AIDS
programs beyond the emergency phase first called for under the
President's Emergency Program For Aids Relief, or PEPFAR, and make them
sustainable over the long term. Over the past 5 years, we have
literally gone from watching people die from HIV/AIDS to watching
people live and return to productive lives in their communities.
The 2003 Act provided $15 billion over 5 years; H.R. 5501 provides
$50 billion, a direct response to the needs identified over the past 5
years for life-saving medicines and well-trained, effective national
health care systems.
The 2003 law relied upon the health care workforce and infrastructure
already in place in developing countries. In a farsighted move, Mr.
Speaker, today's bill invests in strengthening HIV-related health care
systems and building the capacity of the health care workforce in these
nations. Under this legislation, funds will be used to train some
144,000 new health care workers over the next 5 years to care for
people infected with HIV.
This is just a start on easing the severe shortage of health care
workers in the developing world, and it is our hope that other donor
nations will follow our lead. If there is ever to be a hope that these
programs can become self-sustaining, health care capacity must be
significantly strengthened in countries hard hit by HIV/AIDS.
The 2003 bill focused on creating new programs to tackle the HIV/AIDS
crisis. This reauthorization builds stronger linkages between our
global HIV/AIDS initiatives and existing programs designed to alleviate
hunger, improve health care, bolster education, and increase income
security and stable livelihoods, an approach endorsed by the
President's Global AIDS Coordinator in February in his annual report to
Congress. These changes ensure that our HIV/AIDS programs no longer
operate in isolation from our other development priorities, and that
the expertise and benefits from these other programs are provided in an
effective manner to HIV/AIDS affected individuals, families, and
communities.
In addition, the bill increases U.S. contributions to the Global Fund
for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and provides benchmarks to
improve the transparency and accountability of the Global Fund.
And while the majority of the funding authorized in H.R. 5501 is
focused on the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS-infected
people and communities, I would like to emphasize that the bill
specifically authorizes $4 billion over 5 years for a comprehensive
strategy to combat tuberculosis, and $5 billion for the prevention,
treatment, control, and elimination of malaria. In addition, it better
integrates our HIV/AIDS programs with the diagnosis, testing,
counseling, treatment, prevention, care, and health care treatment
needed in the fight against TB and malaria.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5501 also removes the requirement that one-third of
all funds for HIV/AIDS prevention be dedicated to abstinence-only
programs. Over the past 5 years, this restriction has proven to hamper
the effectiveness of our health care efforts in the field, as
documented by two recent independent reports produced by the Government
Accountability Office, GAO, and President Bush's own Office of
Personnel Management. This reauthorization now requires the Executive
to promote a balanced prevention program that includes every element of
abstinence, being faithful, and condoms, the ABC approach toward HIV
transmission prevention.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5501 also allows U.S.-supported family planning
organizations to provide HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services. This
will ensure that many more women of reproductive age receive vital
information related to their HIV status, as well as HIV/AIDS education.
Mr. Speaker, we all need to recall that 20 million men, women, and
children have perished from HIV/AIDS; 40 million people around the
world are HIV positive; and each and every day another 6,000 people are
infected with HIV. It is a moral imperative that we act strongly,
decisively, and continue to address this crisis in a forward-looking
manner.
Five years ago, President Bush acted to meet a perceived emergency as
the AIDS epidemic spread out of control. During that period, the United
States has provided drug treatment to nearly 1.5 million people. We
have given supportive care to another 6.6 million, including 2.7
million orphans and vulnerable children. And, our programs have
prevented an estimated 150,000 infant infections. During this first 5-
year phase of programming, U.S. bilateral programs to combat HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria were expanded to 114 countries. Today, the
U.S. now supports programs in 136 countries, including programs funded
by the United States and administered through the Global Fund.
We can all be proud of this record of accomplishment, but there is so
much more left to do. Now we must work on making these initial gains
sustainable, our programs even more effective, and expanding them to
reach an even greater number of HIV/AIDS affected communities.
Specifically, over the next 5-year period, H.R. 5501 aims to:
Prevent 12 million new infections;
Provide anti-retroviral treatment for 3 million people, including
450,000 children;
[[Page H1896]]
Provide medical and other care for 12 million people, including 5
million orphans;
And, train over 140,000 health care workers in the developing world.
Mr. Speaker, addressing global HIV/AIDS is one of the moral
imperatives of our time. And while history will no doubt judge our
response, it is more important that each of us recognizes that we can
truly make a difference in the lives of millions of people right here
and right now.
H.R. 5501 represents a genuine bipartisan compromise. I urge my
colleagues to adopt this rule and to support the underlying
legislation, H.R. 5501.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to
thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for the time, and
I yield myself such time as I may consume.
During his 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush outlined a
bold new plan to confront and combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria. Congress followed through and passed the
U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act, known
as the President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief, PEPFAR, authorizing
$15 billion in assistance to combat these diseases for fiscal years
2004 through 2008. That was the largest commitment ever by any nation
for an international health initiative fighting a single disease.
Since its enactment in 2003, the programs created by this landmark
legislation have made admirable progress in combating those horrible
diseases.
{time} 1045
So far more than 1.4 million people have received life-preserving
antiretroviral treatment, over 2.7 million HIV/AIDS-affected orphans
have received care, and many millions more have received instruction on
how to protect themselves from infection. Tens of millions of people
have received malaria and tuberculosis prevention or treatment
services.
Even though this program has achieved remarkable successes, there is
more that we can do. Tuberculosis still kills an estimated 2 million
people each year and is the leading cause of death for people with
AIDS. One million people die from malaria each year. AIDS is the
world's fourth leading cause of death.
The devastating consequences of these diseases are plaguing sub-
Saharan Africa. Over 22.5 million people are living with HIV, and
approximately 1.7 million additional sub-Saharan Africans were infected
with HIV last year. Just last year this horrible AIDS epidemic claimed
the lives of an estimated 1.6 million people in that region. More than
11 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. Many families are
losing their income earners. Health services are overburdened. Life
expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is now 47 years. Economic activity and
social progress is impeded.
We must do all we can to prevent these tragedies.
The underlying legislation, justly and appropriately named the Tom
Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, will
dramatically augment our commitment to fight these horrible diseases
with an increase of approximately $35 billion in funding for a total of
$50 billion over 5 years.
Some of my constituents are immigrants from Haiti and have family and
friends in their land of origin. I often hear about the disastrous
effects that HIV/AIDS is having on that country. As of 2007, Haiti had
an HIV rate of almost 4 percent. Thankfully, since Congress passed
PEPFAR we have invested over $300 million to help Haiti combat the AIDS
pandemic by building on existing clinic and community-based health
resources; expanding a network of satellite connections to the Centers
of Excellence to permit instant review of difficult cases; training
staff members of health care facilities that provide prenatal,
gynecological and maternity care in provision of prevention of mother-
to-child HIV transmission; and enhancing the lab network for clinical
sites to support the diagnosis and treatment of HIV and other
associated infections. I am pleased the legislation will also now cover
several other countries that were previously not part of PEPFAR.
As I said yesterday in the Rules Committee, when we look upon our
work in Congress many years from now, I can think of nothing that we or
anyone else will be able to point to that is of more importance than
this admirable effort by the great and generous American people, this
massive effort proposed by President Bush here in the United States
House of Representatives during his State of the Union Address of 2003,
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
I would like to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen
and Chairman Payne and Ranking Member Smith for their marvelous
bipartisan, very hard work on this important issue. I also wish to
thank them for naming this landmark program for two ultimately
respected colleagues of ours who have recently left us, Henry Hyde and
Tom Lantos. This is truly a fitting tribute for two remarkable human
beings and public servants.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to
the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
who has had such an important role and hand in this legislation, the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Florida
for the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of the House's consideration of
the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.
This is an important measure which will ensure that our efforts to
save the lives of so many people afflicted with the scourge of AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria continue in a rigorous, holistic way.
The continued success of the program that was brought to life 5 years
ago by our late colleagues, Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos, is a matter of
vital importance to us here in the United States.
As President Bush said in his recent trip to Africa: ``I want the
American people to understand that when it comes to saving lives, it is
in our national interest. It is in our security interest to help
alleviate areas of the world from hopelessness. It is in our moral
interest to save the lives of others.''
So, Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what the bill before us is about.
The program that we are authorizing today, commonly known as PEPFAR, is
now recognized as perhaps the most successful foreign assistance
program of the United States of America since the Marshall Plan.
Just as the Marshall Plan protected American lives then by helping to
stabilize a continent ravaged by war, PEPFAR is protecting Americans
lives today by helping to stabilize a continent ravaged by disease.
PEPFAR does more than just express American compassion, it supports
American security.
As an illustration of this important point, I would like to quote
from a letter that I received from our former House colleague from
Wisconsin, the Honorable Mark Green, who is now serving as the United
States ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania. Ambassador Green
said the following: ``We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the
terrorist bombings of Embassy Dar es Salaam and Embassy Nairobi. And I
can't help but note that General Wald, the former deputy commander of
the U.S. European Command, has called HIV/AIDS the third greatest
threat to U.S. national security.''
Yes, this bill is less than perfect in some aspects. All compromises
are, Mr. Speaker. But it is a good bill, one that will save millions of
lives around the world and help to maintain stability in a key region.
As Chairman Hyde said during the markup of the original Leadership
Act in 2003: ``Congress is so equally balanced that it is very
difficult on controversial matters, on expensive matters, on matters
that have different blocks who have different points of view to reach
an agreement. In a situation like this, compromise is the heart and
soul of the process.''
[[Page H1897]]
He added: ``We cannot please the left and the right and the center.
We can't please the libertarians and the archconservatives and the
Republicans and the Democrats with legislation that would have done all
of these magic properties, but we can do our best and we have done our
best.''
In 2003, Mr. Speaker, we did do our best and created a program that
demonstrated compassion to so many since its enactment.
Today, the House has an opportunity to do its best again.
Today, for the sake of the fathers, the mothers, and the children who
are victims of HIV/AIDS, as well as tuberculosis and malaria, today we
can follow in the steps of Henry Hyde and Tom Lantos, demonstrating
that American compassion that distinguishes our Nation and our people
above all others.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a balanced bill. I believe that
this is a bill that will save many lives and protect American security.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 20 seconds.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to again commend the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her incredible work on this bill. And
for the Record, there is bipartisan appreciation for her strong and
passionate commitment to ending the scourge of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
and malaria.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege
to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), a
physician who does so much on issues of health day in and day out
throughout the United States, and, as on this issue, throughout the
world.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, at the risk of being labeled the skunk at
the annual fragrance picnic, I do rise today in opposition to this
structured rule.
I know compromises have been made to improve the underlying
legislation, but I think there is plenty of room for additional
improvement. Just because we have a good program, to increase the
spending from $15 billion to $50 billion, I wonder if there is
justification for that.
But here we are again, Mr. Speaker, considering a rule that restricts
debate on another Republican-created program for which the Democratic
majority is now proposing a massive expansion.
We already have more than our share of entitlement programs right
here in the United States. And to me, it now appears the majority is on
the verge of using taxpayer dollars to create a global entitlement
program. Remember, Mr. Speaker, PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief, was created back in 2003 to provide emergency relief
for AIDS.
I will certainly say as a physician, that of course I am encouraged
by the increased desire in the bill to also help fight against
tuberculosis and malaria. However, Mr. Speaker, we should not devise a
plan to treat these diseases without defining how to actually buy
sufficient medications to provide the necessary care. The majority said
that a treatment floor was not included in this bill as it was in the
original legislation because the cost of medications have decreased.
That may be true, yet while it has more than tripled the price tag for
the PEPFAR expansion as I said in this bill, it has not tripled the
number of people that it plans to reach with medication. So if the cost
of medications have gone down, I think they have and the majority
states they have, shouldn't the massive increase in the cost of this
program be matched by a proportionate increase in the people that we
target through the program?
Mr. Speaker, I was at the Rules Committee yesterday. I offered an
amendment to just simply say keep that floor of 55 percent of the money
going to treat the patient. The Rules Committee, unfortunately, did not
make that in order.
Since the majority is not allowing adequate input on this
legislation, particularly from the minority, I would urge my fellow
Members to vote against this rule, give us a chance to go back and make
some of the needed changes in an otherwise good bill.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1100
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it's my privilege to
yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida, also
a physician, Dr. Weldon.
Mr. WELDON of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in
strong opposition to this rule, and very strong opposition to the
underlying bill.
And let me just say from the outset that I used to take care of AIDS
patients before I came to this Congress back in 1994. I was one of only
two physicians in a county of 400,000 people that was seeing AIDS
patients. And I have announced my retirement, my intent to leave the
House of Representatives at the conclusion of this Congress, and I will
most likely go back to seeing patients in January. And I may, indeed,
be seeing AIDS patients again.
Let me additionally say that I'm very concerned about the situation
in Africa. Indeed, I have gone to Africa twice in my term of service
here in the Congress specifically to look at the issue of helping in
Africa with the issues of AIDS and malaria and TB, and so I think I
have credibility to be able to say I care, I'm concerned. But this
underlying bill and this rule that restricts any cutting amendments, in
my opinion, is just excessive.
Years ago, when the President originally came up with PEPFAR, he came
to me and asked me to help him with his plan, and I did. And I actually
thought his plan was very, very generous, $3 billion a year. And when
he gave his State of the Union message just a few months ago indicating
that he wanted to double the size of this from $3 billion to $6 billion
a year, I personally thought that was excessive. When you look at all
the problems we have with health care access for Americans, the
problems that we have with transportation infrastructure, the problems
that we have in fighting the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, the homeland
security issues, I thought to take this program from $3 billion a year
to $6 billion a year was excessive and over the top.
But now we have before us today an underlying bill to not increase it
by 100 percent, which is what the President was asking for, but to
increase it by over 200 percent. That's the underlying bill. And the
Democrat leadership of the House under the Democratic Rules Committee
is saying, well, no, we don't want any cutting amendments.
Now, let me tell you a little bit of why I am so passionately upset
about it. Yesterday, NASA announced that, with the retirement of the
space shuttle, they are going to be laying off over 6,500 people in
east central Florida, my congressional district. That is a huge amount
of people. It has a huge economic impact on the State of Florida. And
for us to be putting our astronauts on Russian rockets, we're going to
have to sign a contract with the Russians for the construction of these
rockets, we're essentially going to be laying off people in Florida and
hiring people in Russia with U.S. taxpayers.
Now, this Congress, under this Democratic leadership, is saying that
we have no choice, we cannot afford to continue to fly the shuttle in
2011, 2012, 2013. We cannot afford to bring the new rocket system
online any sooner than 2005 or 2006, we don't have the money, while we
have all this money to send $50 billion to Africa for AIDS. Now, again,
let me just say, I understand this is a terrible problem. I don't even
mind increasing the Africa AIDS account. And what, to me, is insult on
top of injury, my staff has informed me that they have $1 billion in
this account unspent that they are working to try to spend. So, they
can't even spend all the money that we're sending them over there, and
we want to send them a 240 percent increase?
Now, I know every Member of this House can get up and give a speech
like this; they have water projects in their district, they have health
care clinics in their district. In my particular case, it's pretty
significant. We've got over 6,000 people who are going to get a pink
slip. So, for us to say we can't fly the shuttle beyond 2010 because we
can't afford it, but that we can somehow find $50 billion to send to
Africa, to me is just way over the top. I can't justify that back home.
I'm opposing this rule. I'm going to vote against the underlying
bill. And I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I appreciate it.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my colleagues that
the
[[Page H1898]]
underlying debate is not about the space program, it's about whether
we're going to end the terrible scourge of HIV/AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis that has cost the lives of countless individuals across
this planet. This is a moral imperative. And I am proud of the
bipartisan work done by Democrats and Republicans working together to
accomplish this bill.
At this time, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of the rule and of H.R.
5501, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and expand the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
I want to particularly applaud the increase in funding from $15 to
$50 billion over 5 years, and the inclusion of the Caribbean countries
in this reauthorization.
In this regard, I want to especially thank and applaud my colleagues,
Mr. Fortuno, who introduced the Caribbean amendment, Congresswoman
Yvette Clarke, who cosponsored it, as did I, Chairman Donald Payne, who
included the increased funding and whose work with Congresswoman
Barbara Lee ensured that these provisions were included, as well as
Chairman Rangel, who began the Caribbean effort 4 years ago.
The expansion to include all Caribbean nations as focus countries was
greatly aided by the hard work of Caribbean Health Ministers whose
collective and tireless efforts raised awareness about the impact of
HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. I also want to thank the Pan Caribbean
Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) not only for their support of
this bill, but for the important leadership role that they have and
continue to take to address HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region.
Over the past 5 years, PEPFAR has literally saved the lives of more
than one million people and has had a significant positive impact on
those most affected by and most at risk for HIV infection, women and
girls.
Congresswoman Lee and I had the opportunity to visit several PEPFAR
sites and partners in South Africa late last year and saw the great
work that they are doing. It was also clearly evident, though, that
more was needed.
The additional funding will help to expand the number of focused
countries under PEPFAR. It will help to ensure that the innovative and
effective efforts that have been launched not only continue, but help
other hard-hit nations get access to the resources they desperately
need to address HIV/AIDS within their borders.
While two Caribbean nations, Haiti and Guyana, are, as they should
be, currently prioritized as focus countries under PEPFAR, there are 14
other nations in this region, which is second only to sub-Saharan
Africa in terms of HIV/AIDS prevalence, in need of help. In the
Caribbean today, AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in the 15-
44 age group.
Many Caribbean nations not currently receiving PEPFAR assistance
absorb millions of dollars in debt every year. Leaders in the Caribbean
maintain that high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates can overwhelm the region's
health care capacity, destabilize economies, and compromise Caribbean
nations' sociopolitical infrastructure. In fact, Assistant Secretary
General of the Organization of American States, the Honorable Albert
Ramdin, stated in January of last year that ``HIV/AIDS, if not
effectively and urgently tackled, poses a clear threat to the
sustainable development, social stability and human security of the
Caribbean.''
Making all Caribbean countries eligible is clearly the right thing to
do. H.R. 5501, while it includes the region, lays the foundation to
have the 14 Caribbean nations specifically listed in the bill that will
be sent to the President for his signature.
I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule and to support H.R.
5501, rightly named to honor the service of Chairman Hyde and Chairman
Lantos.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of H.R. 5501--a bill which
will reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,
PEPFAR. I want to thank and applaud my colleagues, Congressman Fortuno
who introduced the Caribbean amendment, Congresswoman Clarke who
cosponsored it as did I, Chairman Payne and Congresswoman Lee who
ushered it and many other parts of the bill through the committee.
Congresswoman Lee and I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa
around World AIDS Day last year to visit PEPFAR sites and participate
in and see the work they were doing first hand. There was great work
being done, but the need for more was also clearly evident.
The success of PEPFAR is well documented. With the support offered
through PEPFAR over the last 5 years, many of the world's hardest hit
nations have been able to launch integrated HIV/AIDS prevention,
treatment and care programs that have prevented new HIV infections,
brought life-saving medications and other treatments and services to
those living with HIV. As a direct result, PEPFAR has literally saved
the lives of more than 1 million people and has had a noted and
positive impact on those most affected by and most at risk for HIV
infection: women and girls.
In fact, in the 15 focus countries, more than 6 in every 10 of the
individuals with HIV currently on antiretroviral treatment as a result
of direct PEPFAR support are women and girls.
Given the continued burden of HIV/AIDS in the world's most vulnerable
nations, there is no doubt that this critically important bill not only
should be reauthorized, but that it should be increased. We were
pleased that the President indicated a willingness to increase it in
his State of the Union message this year. And I want to especially
recognize Chairman Payne for successfully increasing the fund to $50
billion over the next 5 years.
This additional funding will help to expand the number of ``focus
countries'' which currently are prioritized under PEPFAR. Additionally,
it will help ensure that the forward-thinking and effective HIV/AIDS-
related efforts that have been launched not only continue, but that
other nations that are hard hit by this pandemic will have access to
the resources they desperately need to address HIV/AIDS within their
borders.
Mr. Speaker, despite the many successes associated with PEPFAR, we
know that there is an entire region--the Caribbean--which has been and
remains in desperate need of assistance in battling against HIV/AIDS.
While two Caribbean nations--Haiti and Guyana--are, as they should be,
currently prioritized as focus countries under PEPFAR, there are 14
other nations in the region that together comprise the second-hardest
hit region in the world; second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of
HIV/AIDS prevalence.
Mr. Speaker, in the Caribbean today, AIDS is one of the leading
causes of death among adults aged 15-44 years of age. In some countries
in the region, AIDS is the leading cause of death among individuals in
this age group; a disturbing reality, because AIDS is taking its
ultimate toll on Caribbean residents during their most productive life
years, thus compromising many Caribbean nations' economic, social and
political growth and stability.
Adding to the region's challenges with HIV/AIDS is the well-
documented high population mobility. We know that many Caribbean
nations--whose commitment to and effectiveness in addressing HIV/AIDS
is stifled not because of the absence of political will, but because of
the absence of resources--offer universal access to HIV/AIDS
medications, care and other services.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, many Caribbean nations, not currently receiving
PEPFAR assistance, absorb millions of dollars in debt every year
providing treatment and care not only to their residents with HIV, but
to all individuals on their shores seeking HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
These Caribbean nations have been doing what is right not only to
address HIV/AIDS head on, but to lay the groundwork to beat this
pandemic. And so, I rise today to encourage all of my colleagues--on
both sides of the aisle--to support this legislation, which lists these
14 Caribbean nations as ``focus nations,'' to support these nations'
efforts to prevent new HIV infections and to expand access to life-
saving AIDS medications to those living with HIV infection.
Mr. Speaker, because of all of the above, I want to especially single
out Congressman Fortuno for his leadership on this issue and
shepherding this amendment through the committee process and ensuring
it became a part of the final bill. I also want to recognize Chairman
Rangel who was the first to begin this process 4 years ago.
This amendment might not have been possible without the hard work of
nearly a dozen Health Ministers in the Caribbean and their collective
and tireless efforts to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS in
the Caribbean and to include 14 Caribbean nations as ``focus
countries'' in this bill. I also want to thank the Pan Caribbean
Partnership against HIV and AIDS, PANCAP, not only for their support of
this bill, but for the important leadership role that they have and
continue to take to address HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region.
[[Page H1899]]
Mr. Speaker, as the only African-American physician in Congress and
as the only representative from the English-speaking Caribbean, I can
tell you--firsthand--that based on the surveillance data reported in
the latest UNAIDS report, we know that the entire Caribbean region
without adequate and targeted support from PEPFAR, is now and will
continue to experience the same devastating impact from HIV/AIDS
documented throughout nations in sub-Saharan Africa. Ambassador of and
Health Ministers in Caribbean countries to the United States maintain
that high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates can overwhelm the region's health
care capacity, destabilize economies and compromise Caribbean nations'
sociopolitical infrastructure.
In fact, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American
States Albert Ramdin stated in January 2007 that, ``HIV/AIDS, if not
effectively and urgently tackled, poses a clear threat to the
sustainable development, social stability, and human security of the
Caribbean.''
The time to act is now; now is when we should support a bill that not
only will tackle on of our most pressing international public health
challenges, but that will do so in a manner that is medically,
epidemiologically, regionally and fiscally responsible today. I,
therefore, urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 5501 so that it
may pass in the House of Representatives and so that we may lay the
path necessary to ensure that during conference, the 14 Caribbean
nations listed in this bill are included in the bill that is sent to
the President for enactment. It not only is the right thing to do, but
it is the smart and responsible thing to do.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to
the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, there is no more noble endeavor that we
can engage in than to cure human diseases. All of us in Congress I
think have an obligation to be sure that we are, for example, doubling
the investment we make in the National Institutes of Health, in the
National Science Foundation, in the research work that they're doing to
identify and cure human diseases at the earlier stages.
I represent the Texas Medical Center, and I'm proud to do so. Those
institutions, the greatest in the world, the Andy Anderson Cancer
Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor University of Texas Health
Science Center is doing research today, particularly on nano research,
where we have the potential, within the next 10 to 15 years, of being
able to identify in a child before she's born genetic predisposition to
certain diseases, for example, like Lou Gehrig's disease, or diabetes,
or cystic fibrosis. These genetically-based diseases can be identified
before a child is born using nanotechnology, reinjecting, for example,
nano sponges with a protein fix back into the mother's amniotic fluid.
The child would then take up those nano sponges. And we can cure
diseases in children before they are born.
We have the potential, if we will just invest in the National
Institutes of Health and their competitive peer reviewed grant process,
if we will just invest the money that's needed right here in America
for the National Science Foundation, we have the ability to detect
cancer when it's only a few hundred cells in the body using
nanotechnology and gold nano shells that will attach to the cancer
cells and destroy them before they turn into a tumor.
We have not adequately invested in our own scientific and medical
infrastructure in the United States, first and foremost, before you
even begin to talk about curing disease globally. We have not secured
our border. The southern border is essentially wide open and
unprotected in areas other than Del Rio and Laredo. What are we doing
to make sure that we've done all that we can do here at home first and
foremost for our own folks?
But then finally, and most importantly, and the reason I'm so spun up
about this, is the fact that this Democrat Thelma and Louise Congress,
Obama-Hillary-Pelosi Democrat Congress, is managing this economy of the
United States like Thelma and Louise, driving right off the cliff.
I urge you to go to gao.gov and look at the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour that
David Walker has put up on the Web site. The Comptroller of the United
States has notified us formally that we are spending money so
irresponsibly, so rapidly that the Standard & Poor's and Moody's has
already formally notified the Treasury that they are beginning the
process of downgrading U.S. Treasury bonds.
The Comptroller has told us that by the year 2020, in 12 years, young
people who are 18, if you're listening, by the time you turn 30,
Medicare is bankrupt, Treasury bills will be graded as junk. Let me
repeat that, Treasury bills are on a path to be graded as junk bonds if
we don't stop spending money and focus on the bare essentials. Every
American already owes $175,000 a person.
This bill creates a worldwide entitlement to anyone in the world that
has AIDS or malaria or tuberculosis at U.S. taxpayer expense. It's
unaffordable. It's unacceptable. It is utterly irresponsible at a time
of record national debt, record deficits, record Federal spending that
we need to reign in, otherwise America is going to become Argentina.
The dollar is rapidly becoming the peso. It's time for this Thelma and
Louise Democrat Congress to quit spending money on things that are not
absolutely essential to this Nation's survival.
Let us focus on protecting the United States of America and quit
spending my daughter's money that she does not have and driving our
kids and our grandchildren deeper into debt. It is irresponsible. It
is, frankly, criminal, in my opinion, to drive up the national debt and
the deficit to record levels.
It is a noble, good thing to try to cure disease in Africa. Why don't
we focus on clean drinking water, for example, if you really want to
fix disease in Africa. Quit spending my children's money that they
don't have.
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will remind Members to direct
their comments to the Chair.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
To be honest, Mr. Speaker, I find it stunning that a Member from the
Republican Party would come up here and talk about the debt that our
children have been forced to inherit. I will remind my colleagues that
when Bill Clinton left office, we had a surplus. After the leadership
of George Bush and the Republican Congresses, we are now in historic
record debt. I now have inherited a debt tax.
I am all for investing more in medical research. I would much rather
do that, quite frankly, than invest in tax cuts for Donald Trump or
more subsidies to Big Oil companies or more tax giveaways to big
corporations that are gouging the American taxpayer.
But what we have here, Mr. Speaker, is a bill to save lives. This is
a moral imperative. It is a product of bipartisan collaboration. This
is something that we can be proud of. This is something the American
people, I think, support overwhelmingly.
And so, we don't need any lectures about the mess this economy is in.
This President and the Republican Congresses have driven this economy
into a ditch, and we're trying to get us out of that ditch.
So, I would urge my colleagues to focus on what is being debated here
today, which is a bill to save lives, to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis. This is a worthy goal. This is something that
we should be committed to. And I think that the bipartisan
collaboration that has produced this deserves to be praised and not
ridiculed.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield an
additional minute to Mr. Culberson of Texas.
Mr. CULBERSON. I want to thank Mr. McGovern for his thoughtful
response and point out that over the last 60 years, the Republicans
have been in control of the Congress for I think about 14 of that. We
were in control about 12 years, and then I think there were 2 or maybe
4 years under Eisenhower that the Republicans were in control. So,
Democrats have controlled the Congress for the overwhelming majority of
the last 60 years.
I got here in 2001. And I can tell you, Mr. McGovern, and you're a
thoughtful, good man, I enjoy working with you, that I personally, on
behalf of my constituents, have voted against every major spending
initiative that the White House has pushed on us because I recognized
this problem the comptroller has put out before us. I voted
[[Page H1900]]
against the farm bill. I voted against the Medicare Prescription Drug
bill. I voted against the No Child Left Behind Act. I voted against the
AIDS in Africa bill the last time it came up because we cannot continue
to spend money that our children cannot afford to pay. The money we
spend today will be paid by our kids and our grandchildren. And that's
the fundamental message here, Mr. McGovern.
I would encourage everyone in this Congress, and I know you're a
thoughtful guy, why don't we focus on providing clean drinking water.
Let's convert existing foreign aid in Africa to clean drinking water,
which I've lead the effort to provide $500 million. Focus on clean
drinking water and research here in America.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me just yield myself 20 seconds.
I appreciate the gentleman's response. I would just remind the
gentleman again, and everybody, that this is a bill about saving lives.
And this is a bill that is supported by the head of the Republican
Party, the President of the United States. And so, I am proud to join
in support of this bipartisan collaboration.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1115
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege
to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Puerto Rico, who
is a leader on issues of health and has so much contributed to this
important legislation, Mr. Fortuno.
Mr. FORTUNO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5501. This bill
reauthorizes critically important legislation. PEPFAR, which is a
testament to the American people's generosity of spirit, has achieved
remarkable success. Because of PEPFAR, millions of sick and vulnerable
people beyond our borders have received an essential education,
treatment and care. There are men in Nairobi, women in Hanoi and
children in Port-au-Prince who are alive today because of PEPFAR. That
knowledge should give us great pride. It should also fill us with a
sense of humility, born of the understanding that we have helped create
something larger than ourselves.
I am gratified that the bill we consider today, appropriately named
after two beloved chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committee who devoted
themselves to the cause of fighting AIDS, preserves the careful
compromises that gave life to this life-giving program.
I want to highlight an aspect of H.R. 5501 that has not received much
attention. In February 2007 I introduced H.R. 848, which called for the
addition of 14 Caribbean nations as so-called ``focus countries'' under
PEPFAR.
As the representative of nearly 4 million U.S. citizens residing in
Puerto Rico, I am particularly aware that the people of the Caribbean
have always been good friends and neighbors of our country. We share a
unique and resilient bond. The sons and daughters of the Caribbean who
have ventured north to our shores have enriched the life of this
Nation.
H.R. 848 was cosponsored by Congresswomen Donna Christensen and
Yvette Clarke, who have been tireless advocates of individuals living
with HIV/AIDS, and I commend them for their work. We were heartened
when the language of H.R. 848 was included in H.R. 5501.
H.R. 5501 reflects a bipartisan agreement forged through
deliberations among Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs
Committee, the White House, and the State Department's Office of the
Global AIDS Coordinator. Each of these groups recognized that the
United States can do more to help the people of the Caribbean fighting
the AIDS pandemic that is ravaging their communities.
Adopting a regional approach to fighting AIDS in the Caribbean, as
H.R. 5501 does, is the right thing and the smart thing to do. There are
currently 15 focus countries targeted for increased assistance under
PEPFAR. Only two, Haiti and Guyana, are in the Caribbean. But the AIDS
pandemic has produced a humanitarian crisis that affects the region as
a whole.
Along with sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean is the most severely
impacted region in the world. In 2007 there were 230,000 adults and
children living with HIV, 17,000 new HIV infections, a 1 percent
prevalence rate, and 11,000 AIDS-related deaths. Statistics like this
can have a mind-numbing effect. We must remember that behind each of
these numbers lies a tragic story of human suffering.
In addition, the AIDS pandemic in the Caribbean poses a significant
national security threat to the United States, because the disease
undermines political stability and economic development in the region
that President Bush has called our ``third border.''
Current spending by the United States to combat AIDS in the Caribbean
is not sufficient to address the problem. Setting aside funding to
Haiti and Guyana, U.S. assistance to the Caribbean has remained
stagnant and, in fact, even decreased slightly.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield the gentleman 30
additional seconds, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. FORTUNO. In closing, I want to emphasize this point. By adding
these Caribbean nations, Congress does not seek to substitute its
judgment for the judgment of the experts at the State Department in
determining how PEPFAR money will be allocated. These fact-intensive
decisions will and should ultimately be made by OGAC. But expanding the
list of so-called focus countries in this manner does send a strong and
clear message from this Congress that the broader Caribbean region
should be considered for a reasonable amount of additional funding. And
I believe this is a message that we can all support.
Mr. McGOVERN. I reserve my time, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield 3 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I just came from a meeting with local
doctors from my district. They told me that there is a severe shortage
of funds necessary to care for America's senior citizens. We are having
trouble finding the money to even take care of our returning veterans.
Millions of Americans are facing foreclosure on their homes.
And now, with all of these challenges that we're facing at home, we
are being asked to spend $50 billion to fight AIDS in Africa? This is
as absurd and as irresponsible as it gets.
Where are we going to get the $50 billion for Africa?
Well, we can lower spending for our own people. We can raise taxes,
which would likely throw us into a recession and leave us even less
money for our people at home. Or of course we can borrow it. Yes, if we
borrow it, it will probably come from Communist China and make
ourselves even more vulnerable to their pressure.
We have exported our manufacturing base to China already, and now we
want to borrow even more from these dictators so we can give that money
away to others?
It is terrible that millions of Africans are suffering AIDS. But we
cannot afford such totally irrational generosity. This is benevolence
gone wild.
We can't afford to shortchange our own people, to raise taxes, or to
borrow it. Yet, we expect the American people to absorb another $50
billion hit for someone else?
We can't take care of our own veterans when they come home from the
war. We can't take care of our elderly. We have people who can't take
care of their own health needs, and are at risk of losing their homes.
And we are going to spend $50 billion in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, we have big hearts, but we need to use our brains. We
cannot afford this type of $50 billion generosity. It's going to cost,
this will cost the American people their way of life. It will cost them
their health care, their education for their children. It'll cost our
veterans.
Our economy is facing a catastrophic setback because of the
irresponsible spending and taxing policies of the Federal Government.
And now we're going to exacerbate that problem by making believe that
we can still afford to save the world by funding every worthwhile cause
out there.
I'm not in any way suggesting that helping people with AIDS in Africa
is not a worthwhile endeavor. But the fact is, we've got to use our
heads, or we will have serious negative consequences on our own people.
$50 billion is way out of line, is way out of line.
[[Page H1901]]
It would be wonderful to help the people of Africa through this AIDS
crisis by transferring tons of cash into African accounts. But I
suggest to you that, as experience shows, just sending that much money
will not cure AIDS in Africa, and will have serious repercussions on
our standard of living and the quality of life of our own people.
I ask my colleagues to vote against this type of nonsense. Watch out
for the American people.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Again, I find it somewhat ironic to listen to the gentleman's
comments who has no problem supporting a $3 trillion war in Iraq that
has resulted in 4,000 American soldiers dead, tens of thousands
wounded; and on top of all that, not even paying for the war, just
putting it on the credit card so our kids and our grandkids have to pay
for it. Many of my friends on the other side of the aisle who have
supported tax cuts for the richest of the rich and decided that it
wasn't important to pay for it; instead, put it on the credit card and
on the backs of our kids; who have voted for budgets to cut veterans
health and to cut money for health care in general. And what we have
been trying to do is to make up for the indifference of so many years.
You know, the gentleman presents a false choice. What we're trying to
do here is actually respond to a humanitarian crisis in a bipartisan
way. I mean, I don't often stand with the President of the United
States, but I do on this. He's right. We can't ignore the HIV/AIDS
crisis or the crisis with regard to malaria and tuberculosis around the
world.
This is a moral imperative. And I will tell you, in addition to being
a moral imperative, it makes sense for the United States to take a
leadership role and encourage the rest of the world to step up and to
provide the resources to combat these scourges.
This is the right thing to do. I'm proud of this bipartisan
collaboration of this bill. And I hope all my colleagues will support
it.
I want to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida, my colleague
on the Rules Committee, Mr. Hastings.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank my esteemed colleague on the Rules
Committee for yielding 1 minute.
I regret very much my colleague, who is my friend from California,
had to be about his business because I wanted to respond directly to
him dealing specifically with his comments as if this legislation is
directed only to Africa.
This legislation wisely expands to the Caribbean basin. And I urged
yesterday in the Rules Committee that people understand that American
tourists visit these places and, in many instances, it is in our best
interest to make sure that these kinds of humanitarian concerns are
taken care of.
Haiti is involved in this legislation. And I doubt seriously if
there's anybody that doesn't believe that we should be about the
business of trying to help Haiti.
My colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) just said that it is
the right thing to do. It is the humanitarian thing to do. It is the
right thing to do. And lest we ignore the extraordinary problem we have
here in the Nation's Capital on HIV/AIDS, lest we ignore the need to
expand the Ryan White Act, failure to do these things causes us to do
so at our peril. This is de minimis by comparison to what is needed or
what is required.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I would ask my friend if he has
any other speakers.
Mr. McGOVERN. I am the final speaker on our side.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I will be asking for
a ``no'' vote on the previous question so that we can amend the rule
and allow the House to consider a change to the rules of the House to
restore accountability and enforceability to the earmark rule.
Under the current rule, so long as the chairman or the sponsor of a
bill, joint resolution, conference report, or manager's amendment
includes either a list of earmarks contained in a bill or a report, or
a statement that there are no earmarks, no point of order lies against
the bill. This is the same as the rule in the last Congress.
However, under the rule as it functioned under the Republican
majority in the 109th Congress, even if the point of order was not
available on the bill, it was always available on the rule as a
``question of consideration.'' Because the Democratic Rules Committee
specifically exempts earmarks from the waiver of all points of order,
they deprive Members of the ability to raise the question of earmarks
on the rule.
This amendment will restore the accountability and enforceability of
the earmark rule to where it was at the end of the 109th Congress to
provide Members with an opportunity to bring the question of earmarks
before the House for a vote.
Last year the distinguished new Speaker said that if she were to
become Speaker of the House, she would require all earmarks to be
publicly disclosed and would ``put it in writing.'' However, as we have
seen, this Congress, the majority have not fulfilled their promise.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the
amendment and extraneous materials immediately prior to the vote on the
previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5501 is one of the most important
foreign policy global health bills this Congress will pass this year.
We have literally gone from, 5 years ago from standing helplessly by
and watching people die of HIV/AIDS, to watching people live and take
up productive lives in their communities. The impact is far-reaching.
For example, Mr. Speaker, let me highlight just one sector of
development that has broad bipartisan support in this Congress, basic
education. We all know that education is key to lifting countries out
of poverty. And HIV/AIDS creates barriers to education.
Teacher deaths and absenteeism due to HIV/AIDS compound problems of
quality and access in education systems that already face teacher
shortages.
Children are often pulled out of school to care for a family member
with HIV/AIDS or, when a parent dies, they're forced to take care of
younger siblings rather than attend school.
HIV/AIDS affected children who are able to attend school often face
discrimination and are sometimes segregated from other children or
denied admission entirely by teachers or school administrators.
Young people with little or no education are more than twice as
likely to contract HIV as those who have completed primary education.
But under this bill, and as we continue to better integrate our HIV/
AIDS programs with our other development priorities, schools can become
hubs of care and support for orphans and vulnerable children by
providing psychological support, nutrition and basic health care and
support to OVC caregivers.
In a 32-country demographic and health survey, women with post
primary education were four times more likely than illiterate women to
know the basic facts about HIV/AIDS, and three times more likely to
know that HIV can be transmitted from mother to child.
Oxfam estimates that if all children completed primary education,
700,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS in young people could be prevented each
year, totaling 7 million cases in one decade.
Mr. Speaker, for these and so many other reasons, this bipartisan
bill deserves our support. I urge my colleagues to support this rule
and to support the underlying bill, H.R. 5501.
The material previously referred to by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of
Florida is as follows:
Amendment to H. Res. 1065 Offered by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 3. That immediately upon the adoption of this
resolution the House shall, without intervention of any point
of order, consider in the House the concurrent resolution (H.
Con. Res. 263) to establish the Joint Select Committee on
Earmark Reform, and for other purposes. The concurrent
resolution shall be considered as read. The previous question
shall be considered as ordered on the concurrent resolution
to final adoption without intervening motion or demand for
[[Page H1902]]
division of the question except: (1) one hour of debate
equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Rules; and (2) one motion
to recommit.
____
(The information contained herein was provided by
Democratic Minority on multiple occasions throughout the
109th Congress.)
The Vote on the Previous Question: What It Really Means
This vote, the vote on whether to order the previous
question on a special rule, is not merely a procedural vote.
A vote against ordering the previous question is a vote
against the Democratic majority agenda and a vote to allow
the opposition, at least for the moment, to offer an
alternative plan. It is a vote about what the House should be
debating.
Mr. Clarence Cannon's Precedents of the House of
Representatives, (VI, 308-311) describes the vote on the
previous question on the rule as ``a motion to direct or
control the consideration of the subject before the House
being made by the Member in charge.'' To defeat the previous
question is to give the opposition a chance to decide the
subject before the House. Cannon cites the Speaker's ruling
of January 13, 1920, to the effect that ``the refusal of the
House to sustain the demand for the previous question passes
the control of the resolution to the opposition'' in order to
offer an amendment. On March 15, 1909, a member of the
majority party offered a rule resolution. The House defeated
the previous question and a member of the opposition rose to
a parliamentary inquiry, asking who was entitled to
recognition. Speaker Joseph G. Cannon (R-Illinois) said:
``The previous question having been refused, the gentleman
from New York, Mr. Fitzgerald, who had asked the gentleman to
yield to him for an amendment, is entitled to the first
recognition.''
Because the vote today may look bad for the Democratic
majority they will say ``the vote on the previous question is
simply a vote on whether to proceed to an immediate vote on
adopting the resolution . . . [and] has no substantive
legislative or policy implications whatsoever.'' But that is
not what they have always said. Listen to the definition of
the previous question used in the Floor Procedures Manual
published by the Rules Committee in the 109th Congress, (page
56). Here's how the Rules Committee described the rule using
information from Congressional Quarterly's ``American
Congressional Dictionary'': ``If the previous question is
defeated, control of debate shifts to the leading opposition
member (usually the minority Floor Manager) who then manages
an hour of debate and may offer a germane amendment to the
pending business.''
Deschler's Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives,
the subchapter titled ``Amending Special Rules'' states: ``a
refusal to order the previous question on such a rule [a
special rule reported from the Committee on Rules] opens the
resolution to amendment and further debate.'' (Chapter 21,
section 21.2) Section 21.3 continues: Upon rejection of the
motion for the previous question on a resolution reported
from the Committee on Rules, control shifts to the Member
leading the opposition to the previous question, who may
offer a proper amendment or motion and who controls the time
for debate thereon.''
Clearly, the vote on the previous question on a rule does
have substantive policy implications. It is one of the only
available tools for those who oppose the Democratic
majority's agenda and allows those with alternative views the
opportunity to offer an alternative plan.
Mr. McGOVERN. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous
question.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the
yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________