    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [July 28, 1995]
    [Pages 1164-1165]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and an Exchange
    With Reporters
    July 28, 1995

        The President. Good morning, and welcome. I'd like to begin by
    thanking Patsy Fleming for the work that she's done with me and with you
    and for our country on this issue and by thanking all of you for your
    service on this advisory council. We need your advice, your wisdom, your
    enthusiasm, your energy, and America needs your service. And I thank you
    for it very much.
        As you know, I have been strongly committed to an increasing Federal
    response to the AIDS crisis. In spite of the fact that we have cut and
    eliminated hundreds and hundreds of programs since I have been
    President, we've increased overall AIDS funding by 40 percent and
    funding for the Ryan White CARE Act by over 80 percent since I've been
    President.
        I was very, very pleased to see yesterday how overwhelmingly the
    Senate voted to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act. I've got a budget
    before them which would increase our funding considerably more. I hope
    that will pass. But the United States Senate made an important statement
    yesterday, almost unanimously. And I think we should all appreciate that
    and be grateful for it.
        This terrible plague has cost our country 270,000 American lives and
    over 100 every day. There are some encouraging signs on the research
    front, as all of you know. Scientists have discovered ways to block the
    transmission of HIV from mothers to children. New classes of drugs are
    being developed to actually repair damaged immune systems, which is
    very, very hopeful. These scientific advances give us all reason to hope
    and should redouble our determination, even in this season of balanced
    budgeting, to reinvest even more and more of our Nation's wealth into
    medical research in AIDS and medical research of all kinds.
        This is not the time to slow down or retreat. It is not the time to
    give in. AIDS is a challenge that all of us face. That's what the United
    States Senate said yesterday. It really is a part of our common ground.
    I think we can attack this disease without attacking each other. And
    apparently, sensible, good, farsighted Americans in both parties agree.
        When we begin to pit one disease against another, or one group of
    people against another in this country, we all wind up behind. And I
    felt much better about the future of our country, at least on this
    point, when I saw how the United States Senate conducted itself
    yesterday. Now, our task is to continue to marshal all the forces we've
    got to lift the visibility of this issue.
        When I spoke about this matter in my speech at Georgetown just a few
    weeks ago, I said that this was one area where we had to find common
    ground. This morning, I think we got

    [[Page 1165]]

    a chance to do it. And with your help, we'll continue to make progress
    on it.
        Thank you very much.

    Bosnia

        Q. Is the United States orchestrating the transfer of arms to the
    Bosnian Muslims through Arab or Middle Eastern countries or anywhere
    else?
        The President. No.

    The Economy

        Q. Mr. President, have you managed to achieve the economic soft
    landing?
        The President. Well, I think the economy is coming back up, if
    that's what you mean. We had a slow second quarter, we knew we did. But
    the general thrust of the economy looks strong again. The fundamental
    problem is now that we had a slow second quarter--if you're going to
    have a long, long period of growth, you're going to have uneven periods
    within that.
        The fundamental problem is, we've created 7 million jobs, and most
    Americans haven't gotten a raise. Most Americans still feel economically
    insecure in their own circumstances because their incomes haven't gone
    up, because they don't think their jobs are secure, because they're
    worried about their family's health care. And we need an agenda in this
    country that I have been pushing for 2 years now that not only creates
    jobs but also raises incomes and increases the security of families.
        That is the fundamental problem. But it starts with having a good
    economic policy. So we wouldn't even be where we are if we didn't have
    the 7 million jobs and a lower unemployment rate with low inflation. So
    I'm proud of what we've accomplished. But it's only half the job.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:26 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Patricia S. Fleming,
    Director of National AIDS Policy.