[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 49 (Monday, December 9, 1996)]
[Pages 2455-2457]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Briefing on AIDS Research and an Exchange With 
Reporters

December 3, 1996

    The President. As all of you know, this is World AIDS Awareness 
Week--and you also know I'm a little hoarse. I'm very excited about the 
progress we've made in the last 4 years. I'm determined to keep pressing 
until we have a vaccine and ultimately a cure.
    And I'd like to ask the Vice President to sort of take over for me 
with the opening remarks, and then we'll hear from Secretary Shalala. We 
have some of our Nation's top health officials--our top public health 
officials here. I thank them for coming, for their work, and I'd like to 
ask the Vice President to speak.
    The Vice President. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

[[Page 2456]]

    As you can tell, the President needs to conserve his vocal cords a 
little bit. He's had quite a lot to say about this topic of AIDS over 
the last 4 years, especially internally with this tremendous team that 
Secretary Shalala has pulled together and led on the President's behalf. 
And this is one of several briefings that the President has had 
periodically on the progress our country is making against HIV/AIDS.
    And the experts here will provide some statistics to back these 
assertions up. But let me just briefly, on behalf of the President, note 
that this administration has presided over a 40 percent increase in NIH-
supported AIDS research, a 158 percent increase in Ryan White AIDS 
treatment grants, a 24 percent increase in CCC HIV prevention 
activities, a 96 percent increase for HUD's housing opportunities for 
people with AIDS program. He has greatly strengthened the office of AIDS 
research at NIH, and as a result of public health service guidelines 
recommending the use of AZT by HIV-positive pregnant women and their 
newborns, there has been a very encouraging 17 percent drop in the 
number of infants with perinatally acquired HIV infections--those are 
the last statistics available from '94 to '95--also responding rapidly 
to FDA approval of a new class of AIDS therapies called protease 
inhibitors, with increases in funding for State AIDS drug assistance 
programs.
    We have eased Social Security disability rules to speed approval of 
eligibility. And of course, the President created the Office of National 
AIDS Policy at the White House and the Presidential Advisory Council on 
HIV/AIDS.
    Last year, at the White House Conference on HIV and AIDS, the 
President asked me to preside over an effort to look for ways to 
overcome obstacles in developing new therapeutics, vaccines, and 
microbacides to combat HIV and AIDS. And we have achieved a great deal 
since last year. Working with this team here today, we convene meetings 
that led to the establishment of the Forum for Collaborative HIV 
Research. And I'm proud that the participants in this forum, AIDS 
clinicians, researchers, drug companies, insurance companies, and 
patient advocacy groups, have all expressed their belief that this has 
become an unprecedented and productive forum for discussing the future 
of HIV research.
    These new scientific advancements in HIV and AIDS treatment light 
optimism and hope in the AIDS community for people with AIDS and their 
families. So this is a very positive report this year. And many are now 
feeling that there is cause for more optimism in the near future.
    Through collaborative efforts like this new forum, and the 
cooperative efforts of the Government and private sector researchers, 
we'll continue the fight for better and more affordable prevention 
strategies, vaccines, and microbacides. We will not forget the children. 
The President is personally committed to focusing this research effort 
on the crying need to develop pediatric applications of these prevention 
and treatment strategies and products. And we've all talked a great deal 
about how to do that.
    Working with our team assembled here and with our partners in 
research, we will continue to knock down every barrier to the 
development of successful therapeutics, vaccines, and microbacides until 
we knock down the last barrier of all, the HIV virus itself.
    Now, on behalf of the President, I want to turn this over to 
Secretary Donna Shalala to expand on the administration's efforts to 
defeat this terrible disease.

[At this point, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala began 
the AIDS briefing. While she retrieved a chart for the briefing, the 
following exchange took place.]

Political Strategist James Carville

    Q. Mr. President, can you tell us how you feel about James 
Carville's effort to mount an offensive on your behalf?
    The President. I can't comment.
    Q. You're not going to talk to him about it?
    Q. How's the Cabinet going?
    Q. Any decisions, sir?

The President's Voice

    Q. When can we expect an announcement? Are you glad you've lost your 
voice? [Laughter]
    The President. It's a hoax. [Laughter]
    Q. We suspected as much, sir. [Laughter]

[[Page 2457]]

Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A portion of these remarks could not be verified because the tape 
was incomplete.