[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 24, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H5139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE
(Mr. HEINRICH asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, this week, Washington plays host to the
International AIDS Conference, a conference that brings together
activists, scientists, and people living with HIV to mourn those
millions who have been lost to that disease around this world but also
to celebrate some very real progress made against that disease.
HIV is no longer a death sentence for those who are diagnosed. That's
a very large accomplishment that the U.S. Government can claim some
credit for through research at NIH, CDC, small things like the fact
that the city of Washington can be host because the President's
administration lifted the travel ban on people with HIV.
Mr. Speaker, there is also something for us to learn. The Bush
administration--which I didn't always agree with--also can take
enormous credit for PEPFAR, a program which saved millions of lives in
Africa and Asia and which earned us the respect and the love of people
around this planet. We should learn from that, to work together to end
this disease, to make sure that those with it are treated and that we
prevent it and ultimately end it. That should be our goal.
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