CONGRESSWOMAN NITA M. LOWEY STATEMENT ON H.R. 5501 TOM LANTOS AND HENRY J. HYDE UNITED STATES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AGAINST HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, AND MALARIA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008; Congressional Record Vol. 154, No. 53
(Extensions of Remarks - April 04, 2008)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E513-E514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSWOMAN NITA M. LOWEY STATEMENT ON H.R. 5501 TOM LANTOS AND HENRY
J. HYDE UNITED STATES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AGAINST HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS,
AND MALARIA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
______
speech of
HON. NITA M. LOWEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to
vote in favor of H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S.
Global Leadership against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Reauthorization Act.
Over the past five years two major initiatives have been created to
combat HIV/AIDS and TB: the Global Fund and the President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPPAR). These initiatives have provided over $18
billion and exceeded the President's target of $15 billion by more than
$3 billion. As we seek to reauthorize this program today, I commend the
target of $50 billion over the next five years for these critical
programs. This funding will allow us to prevent 12 million new HIV
infections, provide treatment for 3 million people living with HIV/
AIDS, treat 450,000 children and provide care for 12 million
individuals, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. This
funding will reduce tuberculosis deaths and disease burden by half, the
primary cause of death for those living with HIV/AIDS.
Five years ago, only 50,000 people living with HIV/AIDS were
receiving antiretroviral treatment. Today with American leadership,
almost 2 million people are receiving treatment. Clearly, we are making
a difference.
With this next phase, we need to devote more resources to strengthen
the capacity of nations to meet their own health challenges. If any of
these interventions are to be sustainable in the long term, it requires
that developing countries be able to shoulder more of
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the responsibility for the health of their populations. I am pleased
that this bill invests more in health infrastructure and the training
of healthcare professionals. In addition, I am pleased that the bill
recognizes the important role played by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria in empowering countries to address their own
health problems.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has ravaged the world, especially the African
continent, and shows no signs of slowing down. While U.S.-funded HIV/
AIDS prevention programs reached 57 million people last year alone, new
infections are on the rise. It is essential that we renew our focus on
prevention efforts, including key work on preventing mother-to-child
transmission. Additionally, we must provide the flexibility to respond
to the needs of the communities served including through the removal of
the abstinence earmark in this bill, which I applaud.
While I believe this bill represents the strong bipartisan commitment
of Congress to combating these epidemics, I am disappointed that the
bill took a step backwards in the struggle for poor women to receive
access to critical family planning services. A provision in the bill
could be interpreted to limit, for the first time and contrary to
current practice, the types of family planning programs that would be
eligible for PEPFAR funding. I understand this was not the intent of
the Committee and hope that this issue can be addressed during
conference.
I commend Congressman Berman and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for
crafting a bipartisan bill that will save millions of lives. It truly
honors the legacy of our great colleagues, Congressman Lantos and
Congressman Hyde.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this critical legislation.
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