[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 44 (Monday, November 2, 1998)]
[Page 2168]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Emergency Funding for the HIV/AIDS Initiative in Minority 
Communities

October 28, 1998

    Today I am making available to the Department of Health and Human 
Services an additional $217 million in emergency funding. These funds 
were provided in P.L. 105-277, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, which I signed into law on 
Wednesday, October 21st.
    These funds will provide $50 million to the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (HHS) to address the HIV/AIDS crisis facing the African-
American community and other racial and ethnic minority communities due 
to the changing demographics of the disease. These funds are available 
for HHS to transfer to other agencies for several important purposes:
<SUP><divide></SUP>
            to expand and improve access to state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS 
            therapies;
<SUP><divide></SUP>
            to strengthen and expand targeted HIV/AIDS effective 
            prevention and intervention activities;
<SUP><divide></SUP>
            to support HIV/AIDS substance abuse activities;
<SUP><divide></SUP>
            to provide critical technical assistance in high-risk 
            communities; and
<SUP><divide></SUP>
            to build and sustain HIV/AIDS infrastructure.
    In addition, these emergency funds will provide HHS with $139 
million to prepare for and manage the response to the medical and public 
health consequences of a chemical-biological weapons incident. Of the 
$139 million provided, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
will use $127 million to establish a civilian pharmaceutical stockpile 
and to improve public health surveillance, communications, epidemiologic 
capabilities, and laboratory capacity to respond to a chemical-
biological weapons incident. HHS' Office of Emergency Preparedness will 
use $7 million to enhance medical response systems for a chemical-
biological weapons incident, including funds to increase the number of 
local first responder teams. The remaining funds are for one-time 
projects initiated by Congress.
    Finally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive 
$28 million for global polio eradication and measles elimination 
efforts.
    I am disappointed that Congress has chosen to earmark individual 
projects within the emergency funding provided by P.L. 105-277 for HHS' 
Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund and has done so in such 
a way that I must request all of the funds provided or none at all.