[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 107 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6272-S6273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            GLOBAL AIDS BILL

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, many of us on the Democratic side have 
disagreed with the President's policies--on the war in Iraq, on the 
economy, on education, and health care.
  But an overwhelming majority of us, on both sides of the aisle, find 
common ground in our support for the President's Emergency Plan for 
AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.
  The President believes this program is one of the hallmarks of his 
administration. I agree. I think it is his most positive achievement as 
President of the United States.
  In fact, I believe it is an important illustration of American smart 
power, a resource we have both squandered and underutilized in recent 
years.
  Smart power is the idea that America's strength resonates not only 
from its military power but from the power of its ideas, the power of 
its values, its generosity and diplomacy.
  I worry that a measure of this leadership has been lost recently. We 
are in a struggle of ideas across the world. Many of our harshest 
critics paint a picture of the United States that is not even close to 
reality.
  When you consider the purpose of this bill--to prevent 12 million new 
infections; support treatment for at least 3 million people; and 
provide care for another 12 million, including 5 million vulnerable 
children--it is easy to see it as an expression of American values--of 
generosity and caring for those in need.
  The success of the PEPFAR program has brought us a long way since 
2003, when only 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving 
treatment. Today, PEPFAR and the Global Fund jointly support nearly 2 
million people on treatment, primarily in Africa.
  That is remarkable progress in just 5 years. The situation on the 
ground has been literally transformed through the support and 
generosity of the American people.
  We should be proud of this achievement. But, as U.S. Global AIDS 
coordinator Dr. Mark Dybul has reminded us many times, ``We cannot 
treat our way out of this epidemic.'' To build on this progress, we are 
going to have to integrate our treatment efforts with other prevention 
activities.
  Epidemics do not occur in isolation. If a person goes hungry or 
doesn't have safe water to drink, her antiretroviral drugs will not be 
effective. If there are not enough doctors or nurses in her village, 
she will not receive the care she needs to overcome this terrible 
disease.
  It is essential to integrate treatment with prevention, health 
workforce capacity development, and other important public health 
efforts on the ground. We need to move away from an emergency posture 
to one that encourages sustainability for the long term.
  This bill--the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global 
Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization 
Act of 2008--helps us do that.
  The President has urged Congress to send him this important bill 
before the end of the year.

[[Page S6273]]

  In March, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill on 
an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 18 to 3. Our colleagues in the House 
passed a similar measure with a resounding vote--308 to 116--a few 
weeks later.
  Some of the most vulnerable parts of the world have been ravaged by 
AIDS, TB and malaria. Through this bill, we have an opportunity to turn 
the tide on these terrible diseases.
  Around the world, all eyes are on the U.S. Senate.
  Although it has been a long 2\1/2\ months of negotiation with those 
who placed holds on the bill--and I applaud Senator Biden and Senator 
Lugar on their tenacity and leadership in reaching an agreement last 
night to finally advance this bill.
  I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and to support this vital, 
life-saving legislation.

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