[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             FIGHTING HIV/AIDS: A PILLAR OF SMART SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Woolsey) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, we observed World AIDS 
Day, a time to remember those lost to this horrific disease and to 
recommit ourselves to prevention, treatment and, ultimately, a cure. 
For more than 30 years now, HIV/AIDS has exacted a huge toll, killing 
more than 25 million people. Every 9.5 minutes in our country, someone 
is infected. But this is predominantly a disease of the developing 
world. A shocking 33.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS today, 
almost all in the world's poorer countries, particularly sub-Saharan 
Africa. Too many of them don't have access to the medication and 
overall health care infrastructure that they need.
  AIDS is linked to many other problems of poverty, malnutrition, and 
other infectious diseases as well. It contributes to instability and a 
sense of hopelessness in countries that are already susceptible to 
violence and terrorism. If we don't contain and defeat this epidemic, 
it will undermine democratic governments, it will continue to impede 
economic growth overseas, and it will threaten us right here in the 
United States. In other words, this isn't just an economic issue or a 
health care issue; it's a national security issue.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, over the last decade, ``acting in our 
national security interests'' has come to mean invading and occupying 
foreign nations. The Iraq war lasted 9 years and was responsible for 
untold human misery. The Afghanistan war, now in its 12th year, 
continues to damage our national security interests instead of 
enhancing them. It hasn't defeated the Taliban, nor has it alleviated 
crushing poverty or produced a stable democracy in Afghanistan. And 
then there's the cost--some $10 billion a month. That would be a 
staggering amount of money for a successful policy. For a failed 
policy, it's downright scandalous. And it is rarely mentioned in all 
the conversations about so-called deficit crises and fiscal cliffs.
  USAID and other civilian arms of government could do a world of good 
towards solving the AIDS crisis with a fraction of that money. Why does 
the Pentagon get a blank check while agencies that dispense aid have to 
fight for every single nickel that they receive? Why do we spend 
without restraint on wars and weapons that destroy lives but we squeeze 
those programs that save lives?
  For many years now--and you have all heard me; this is my 443rd 5-
minute speech on this issue. For many years now, I have been promoting 
the idea of SMART Security. SMART Security means protecting our 
interests not with military force or by maintaining a massive nuclear 
arsenal, but by investing in development and diplomacy and through 
humanitarian assistance and partnerships around the world.
  At the AIDS Conference in Washington this past summer, there was a 
panel discussion on how, in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, we can do 
more with less. And what I want to know is: Why do we have to settle 
for less when it comes to HIV/AIDS? This is a humanitarian crisis. Our 
sense of moral decency should compel us to invest whatever it takes to 
bring an end to it.
  It's not just the right thing, Mr. Speaker; it's the smart thing to 
do for our national security. Let's bring our troops home, let's 
implement SMART Security now, and let's have the resources available 
for what we really need to invest in around the world.

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