[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17607]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                AFRICA AND MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, before starting the bill, I will take 2 
minutes on leader time to comment on an issue that is important to me 
personally but that I think is important to our concerns for people 
around the world, and that is the President's trip right now to Africa.
  On Tuesday of this week, on Goree Island, President Bush spoke about 
the extraordinary contributions of Africa's sons and daughters to 
America's culture and ideals. The moral vision of such leaders as 
Frederick Douglas--many of us have had the opportunity to visit his 
wonderful home that sits on a hill in Washington just a few miles from 
where we stand now--Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Sojourner 
Truth, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and the list goes on, have 
penetrated deep into America's consciousness and illuminated America's 
core principles. Africans who were brought to America in chains, and 
their descendants who subsequently suffered cruelty and injustice, 
helped set America free. It is a story that must be told and be told to 
future generations so that we will always work toward realizing our 
Nation's great purpose--in a word: Freedom.
  America and Africa are working together to expand freedom across the 
globe. The President is celebrating much of that in his current trip. 
In late August, I will be taking a delegation of Senators back to 
Africa once again.
  On the Senate floor today, and yesterday, is very important and 
significant legislation, the Millennium Challenge Account, which 
promises to invest in the continent's abundant political and economic 
opportunities. We all celebrate the $15 billion commitment in global 
HIV/AIDS relief by the President, which the Senate confirmed under the 
leadership of Chairman Lugar last month. We know that will help turn 
the tide against HIV/AIDS and, I should add, malaria and tuberculosis.
  The African Growth and Opportunity Act, which we addressed 3 years 
ago now, is alleviating poverty in Africa. Those of us who travel 
regularly hear again and again that it is having an impact that 
stimulates and spurs on that African entrepreneurship.
  So I take this moment to commend President Bush for his bold and 
substantive leadership in helping Africa's leaders meet their nation's 
challenges and to realize the nation's opportunities, and also to 
recognize the leadership of Chairman Lugar on each of these other 
issues that I mentioned: The Millennium Challenge Account, the global 
fight against HIV/AIDS, the African Growth and Opportunity Act. These 
efforts, and many others--bipartisan, both sides of the aisle--will 
help set Africa on a course to maximum freedom and opportunity for all 
of its people and strengthen those historic ties that bind our two 
great lands.
  I yield the floor.

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