[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 190 (Monday, December 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WORLD AIDS DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today I wish to recognize the 30th 
anniversary of World AIDS Day, which was this Saturday, December 1. 
This year, we can celebrate 30 years of progress made to fight HIV/AIDS 
globally and double down on our commitment to creating an AIDS-free 
generation.
  Last week, Congress passed another bipartisan reauthorization of the 
President's Plan for Emergency AIDS Relief PEPFAR. Since launching in 
2003, PEPFAR has had a transformational impact on HIV/AIDS by 
catalyzing an incredible global response that has saved and transformed 
the lives of those living with HIV. Through PEPFAR, the United States 
has provided over 14 million people with lifesaving antiretroviral 
treatment in more than 50 countries. Two years ago, I had the privilege 
of meeting a 30-year-old man in Namibia named Simon who said thanked 
the American people for supporting the lifesaving treatment and care 
that he received through PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Individual stories 
of patients, like Simon, speak to the incredible impact of our 
collective efforts. They underscore the importance of maintaining 
support for the programs, including PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and 
UNAIDS, that made this success to date possible.
  When PEPFAR began in 2003, only 50,000 children were on lifesaving 
treatment in Africa; now, over 700,000 children are supported by 
antiretroviral treatment. PEPFAR has enabled over 2.4 million babies of 
HIV-infected mothers to be born HIV-free. It has provided critical care 
and support for more than 6.8 million orphans, vulnerable children, and 
their caregivers to mitigate the physical, emotional, and economic 
impact of HIV/AIDS. These are only a few of the many ways we have 
progressed in combatting HIV/AIDS.
  Integral to reducing the number of new HIV cases and the viral loads 
of those living with HIV is testing. The theme of this year's World 
AIDS Day is ``know your status.'' HIV testing allows people to make 
informed decisions about their future, including options for treatment 
and prevention. According to data from UNAIDS, in 2017, 36.9 million 
people were living with HIV. Of those 36.9 million, 75 percent were 
aware of their HIV status. These numbers have steadily increased over 
the years, and we must continue our work to expand access to, and 
remove the stigmas associated with, HIV testing.
  While there is much to celebrate, there is still a tremendous amount 
of work to be done. PEPFAR reports that only 52 percent of children 
ages 0 to 14 with HIV have access to lifesaving treatment, compared to 
59 percent of adults with HIV. In 2017, 180,000 children were newly 
infected with HIV. That is 180,000 too many.
  Threats to the continued progress of critically important programs 
have come from our own leadership in the White House, which continues 
annually to propose enormous funding cuts for both PEPFAR and the 
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. We must continue 
to press the Trump administration to recognize the colossal harm of 
restricting funding to these programs, including the lifesaving 
treatment and evidence-based prevention interventions they provide to 
men, women, and children, and the greater impact on achieving epidemic 
control. I call on the Trump administration to reverse its 
reinstatement and expansion of the Mexico City policy, often referred 
to as the ``global gag rule,'' which impedes the ability of 
organizations to provide lifesaving prevention, detection, and 
treatment services. These investments must be not only continued, but 
increased, as we can see an AIDS-free generation on the horizon.
  While we celebrate the progress that we have made on the 30th 
anniversary of Global AIDS Day, we must recommit ourselves to combat 
HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad, beginning with testing. With the 
commitment of partner countries, reinforced by the support of donor 
nations, civil society, people living with HIV, faith-based 
organizations, scientific research community and academia like Johns 
Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, the private sector, 
foundations, and implementing organizations like Catholic Relief 
Services and Lutheran World Relief, success in the fight against HIV/
AIDS is within our grasp.

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