[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 6, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0910
                 NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LEE of California. I rise as founding cochair of the bipartisan 
Congressional Black HIV/AIDS Caucus to mark National Black HIV/AIDS 
Awareness Day. Tomorrow, individuals and organizations across the 
Nation, including in my own 13th Congressional District of California, 
will organize and advocate for HIV testing and treatment.
  In the United States, African Americans remain disproportionately 
affected by HIV/AIDS. This is especially true for young gay and 
bisexual men of color. While African American teenagers represent 15 
percent of teenagers in the United States, they accounted for 69 
percent of all cases reported among teenagers in 2010. The same is true 
for African American women, who accounted for 68 percent of all new HIV 
cases among women.
  Despite the progress we've made in recent years, this Congress has 
already made unconscionable budget cuts to critical programs that many 
families and communities rely on. A new analysis by the Foundation for 
AIDS Research and the National Minority AIDS Council shows, if budget 
sequestration were to take effect, communities of color would be 
disproportionately impacted, including more than 6,500 individuals who 
immediately lose access to HIV treatment.
  We must reject these cuts and expand effective prevention, care, and 
treatment programs so that we can once and for all stamp HIV and AIDS 
off the face of the Earth.

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