[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           HIV/AIDS PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday on World AIDS Day, the 
administration announced its proposed 5-year strategy for the 
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, otherwise known as PEPFAR. 
The strategy is required by the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United 
States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 
Reauthorization Act of 2008. That is a mighty long name, but it does so 
much good. And it begins to shift PEPFAR from an emergency program to 
one focused on sustainability.
  Mr. Speaker, the challenges in fighting HIV/AIDS are daunting, but 
not insurmountable. Over 33 million people worldwide are infected, an 
estimated 67 percent of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 2.7 
million people, including 430,000 children, were newly diagnosed with 
HIV last year. Over 14 million children have lost one or both parents 
to HIV/AIDS. AIDS is decimating an entire generation of the most 
productive members of society in developing countries, which will cause 
GDP to drop by more than 20 percent in the hardest-hit countries over 
the next decade.
  Without effective prevention, treatment, and care efforts, the AIDS 
pandemic will continue to spread its mix of death, poverty, and 
despondency that is destabilizing governments and societies and 
undermining the security of entire regions.
  But one need not travel to Africa or the Caribbean or Eastern Europe 
to witness the devastation of HIV/AIDS; we need only to look out the 
front door. In my home State of Florida, Mr. Speaker, an estimated 
90,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS, making us third in the Nation 
in the number of AIDS cases.
  My home county of Miami-Dade ranks second among large metropolitan 
areas for people living with AIDS with over 32,000 currently diagnosed. 
These individuals need our assistance. They are fighting this disease.
  On October 21 of this year, with a bipartisan majority, we voted in 
Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension 
Act. The Ryan White program has been the largest supplier of services 
for those living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. In the United 
States, over 500,000 people a year benefit from the Ryan White program. 
Florida alone received over $209 million in funding with Ryan White 
funds in 2009, and has been able to assist countless low-income 
Americans living with HIV/AIDS.
  Fully appreciative of the challenges here at home, I am proud to have 
supported PEPFAR since its inception. To date, it has proven to be a 
highly effective and results-oriented program. For example, more than 
half of the 4 million people receiving lifesaving drugs in low- and 
middle-income countries around the world are directly supported through 
PEPFAR. PEPFAR has supported care for more than 10 million people 
affected by HIV/AIDS, including more than 10 million orphans and 
vulnerable children. At least 240,000 babies have been born free of 
HIV/AIDS thanks to PEPFAR prevention of mother-to-child transmissions.
  The achievements of our bilateral programs are truly remarkable. 
However, the record of our multilateral organizations is problematic. 
While we need more robust burden sharing--particularly as the World 
Health Organization has revised its guidelines and vastly expanded the 
pool of people who require access to treatment--significant revelations 
of corruption in the global fund programs are cause for great concern.
  Mr. Speaker, we must work together to ensure accountability, 
transparency, and maximum effectiveness of multilateral programs that 
are receiving United States support. We must work to ensure that every 
dime that is dedicated to PEPFAR, including our contributions to the 
global fund, is used for its intended purposes and delivered in the 
most effective, transparent, and sustainable manner possible. We must 
ensure that those precious resources actually reach those who are in 
need, without being diverted to line the pockets of unaccountable 
international bureaucrats or corrupt regimes.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, we must also preserve the conscience clause and 
promote behavior modification, particularly abstinence and fidelity, 
under the new strategy.
  In closing, let us recommit ourselves to saving the future by helping 
to save lives inflicted with HIV/AIDS.

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