[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12601-12602]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                HIV-AIDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the brutality of the corporate 
scandal that has occurred here in this Nation is one that clearly we 
should all be concerned about. But the idea of ignoring the crisis of 
HIV-AIDS should be one that we abhor.
  When I refer to the tragedy of the corporate scandal here in the 
United States, it is to the loss that so many have suffered and so many 
millions and billions of dollars that have been lost. It is my belief 
that those billions of dollars could be vitally used for the tragedy of 
what is going on in HIV-AIDS.
  It is important to note that the World Conference on AIDS has said 
progress has been made. But in addition to progress being made, we also 
find that there is much work to be done, particularly as it relates to 
the infection of HIV-AIDS, to the issues dealing with immune systems 
and the kinds of infections that are now becoming immune to the various 
drugs that are being utilized, the lack of monies for developing 
nations, the lack of dollars for helping with the mother-to-child 
infection transmission. We have found that where you have the 
circumstance of mother-to-child transmission and you have intervention, 
you will find that it works to save lives.
  The increase of HIV-infected persons is enormous. The increase in 
countries like India and Bangladesh and China is enormous. The number 
of HIV-infected people who do not know that they are infected is 
enormous. The key thing we must do is to be able to find a way to 
address this question.
  The Millennium Project has been announced. There has been a request 
for $1 billion. There has been an additional

[[Page 12602]]

request for $2 billion. Mr. Speaker, let me suggest that that is not 
enough. We are being tortured in this country by our own increase in 
HIV-AIDS, particularly among African American women, and I believe it 
is important for us to be able to focus our concern on many issues.
  Corporate accountability is particularly important, as is corporate 
responsibility. Accountability is particularly important. So, too, are 
the concerns regarding HIV-AIDS infection, as has been indicated by the 
World Conference on AIDS.
  I am delighted to have this opportunity to address the House on this 
very important issue because we cannot forget. As we parallel our track 
on the issues of corporate accountability and recognizing the billions 
of dollars that have been lost in insider training and the need to 
provide security for our own employees with pension reform and 
protections as relates to bankruptcy issues, we cannot afford to lose 
sight of the devastation of HIV-AIDS.
  I am looking forward to working on the increase in funds coming from 
this House and this body, and the President signing legislation to 
intervene internationally on the tremendous costs of HIV-AIDS. We lose 
people, we lose the ability for nations to thrive and grow, we 
undermine their economy, and they simply cannot thrive. They cannot 
feed the malnourished, they cannot provide affordable housing, and they 
cannot provide education because large percentages of their budget are 
taken up with issues such as HIV-AIDS.
  We need to do proactive things, and one of them is to increase the 
relief or the forgiving of the debt that our Third World developing 
nations have so they can use those resources to provide health care for 
those in need. South Africa has been a leader, Zimbabwe; Zambia has 
been a leader, and now it is important that we find our way to 
emphasize HIV-AIDS intervention and protection thereof.
  This is an important issue. It is important for this Nation, and I 
cannot leave, Mr. Speaker, without acknowledging that each is our 
brother's keeper. We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, and as we 
need to help those in this country, we must help those who are seeking 
our aid in fighting HIV-AIDS and the intervention of such.

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