[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 30 (Monday, July 31, 1995)]
[Pages 1320-1321]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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.

[[Page 1321]]

    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 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.