[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 18, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H4916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN COMPASSION FOR HIV/AIDS
(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. WOOLSEY. Next week, more than 20,000 delegates from around the
world will convene in Washington for the International AIDS Conference.
I find it ironic and a little bit sad that, as so many mobilize to
fight this deadly epidemic, the majority in this body want to cut $150
million from USAID's global health initiative, which funds AIDS
prevention efforts.
When will we learn? Fighting diseases in the developing world is more
than a matter of humanitarian decency. It's also critical to our
national security.
This week, as we debate how much money to appropriate to the Defense
Department, I hope we will remember that defending America and our
values isn't just about how many weapons we build, but how many lives
we save around the world. This is the core truth behind my SMART
Security proposal, that fighting terrorism and keeping our country safe
depends less on American military force and more on American
compassion.
____________________