Oct. 30 / Administration of , 2009 democracy, and our people have forged a and our country, and they continue to play a strong and lasting partnership that is grounded key role in shaping the direction of our Nation. in these shared values. Czech Americans trace their roots back to before our country was NOTE: This statement was released by the Of- founded, they have enriched our communities fice of the Press Secretary on October 30.

Statement on the Anniversary of the Founding of Turkey October 29, 2009

The people of the join the come many shared challenges. Turkish Ameri- people of Turkey in celebrating the anniversa- cans help to forge the bonds that join our na- ry of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. tions in friendship, and they continue to con- The friendship between our nation is strong, tribute to our society in a wide range of field, and our alliance is enduring. More than 50 including arts, athletics, education, business, years ago, the United States and Turkey began medicine, and science. a partnership based on shared values and mu- tual respect, a partnership and friendship that NOTE: This statement was released by the Of- has deepened over the years as we have over- fice of the Press Secretary on October 30.

Remarks on Signing the HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 October 30, 2009

The President. Good morning, everybody. contracted HIV/AIDS from a transfusion. Audience members. Good morning. Doctors assured people that Ryan White The President. We often speak about AIDS posed no risk to his classmates or his commu- as if it’s going on somewhere else, and for nity, but ignorance was still widespread. Peo- good reason. This is a virus that has touched ple didn’t yet understand or believe that the lives and decimated communities around the virus couldn’t be spread by casual contact. Par- world, particularly in Africa. But often over- ents protested Ryan’s attendance in class. looked is the fact that we face a serious HIV/ Some even pulled their kids out of school. AIDS epidemic of our own, right here in Things got so bad that the White family had to Washington, DC, and right here in the United ultimately move to another town. States of America. And today we are taking It would have been easy for Ryan and his two important steps forward in the fight that family to stay quiet and to fight the illness in we face here at home. private. But what Ryan showed was the same It has been nearly three decades since this courage and strength that so many HIV-posi- virus first became known. But for years, we re- fused to recognize it for what it was. It was tive activists have shown over the years and coined a “gay disease.” Those who had it were shown around—show around the world today. viewed with suspicion. There was a sense And because he did, we didn’t just become among some that people afflicted by AIDS more informed about HIV/AIDS, we began to somehow deserved their fate and that it was take action to fight it. acceptable for our Nation to look the other In 1990, the year Ryan passed away, two way. great friends and unlikely political allies, Ted A number of events and advances over the Kennedy and then Orrin Hatch, came togeth- years have broadened our understanding of er and introduced the Comprehensive AIDS this cruel illness. One of them came in 1984, Resources Emergency Act, the CARE Act, when a 13-year-old boy from central which was later named after Ryan.

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In a few minutes, I’m going to sign the fourth verely affected by this epidemic and often least reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. served by our health care system, including mi- Now, in the past, policy differences have made nority communities, the LGBT community, ru- reauthorizations of this program divisive and ral communities, and the homeless. It’s often controversial. That didn’t happen this year. And the only option for the uninsured and the un- for that, the Members of Congress that are here derinsured. And it provides lifesaving medical today deserve extraordinary credit for passing services to more than half a million Americans this bill in the bipartisan manner that it de- every year in every corner of the country. serves: Tom Harkin and Mike Enzi in the Sen- It’s helped us to open a critical front on the ate, we are grateful to you for your extraordi- ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS. But let me nary work; Speaker Pelosi, who’s always leading be clear: This is a battle that’s far from over, and the charge on so many issues; Frank Pallone, it’s a battle that all of us need to do our part to Jr., Joe Barton, Barbara Lee, and Donna Chris- join. AIDS may no longer be the leading killer tensen in the House, thank you for your extraor- of Americans ages 25 to 44, as it once was, but dinary work. Oh, don’t worry, I’m getting to there are still 1.1 million people living with Henry. [Laughter] Nancy is always looking out HIV/AIDS in the United States, and more than for Members—[laughter]—but we’ve got a spe- 56,000 new infections occur every single year. cial section for Henry. Some communities still experience unaccept- And Chairman Henry Waxman, who began ably high rates of infection. Gay men make up 2 holding hearings on AIDS in 1982, before there or 3 percent of the population, but more than was even a name for AIDS, was leading here in half of all new cases. African Americans make Washington to make sure that this got the in- up roughly half of all new cases. Nearly half of formed attention that it deserved and who led all new cases now occur in the South. And a the House in passing the original Ryan White staggering 7 percent of Washington, DC’s resi- legislation in 1990. dents between the ages of 40 and 49 live with I also want to acknowledge the HIV commu- HIV/AIDS, and the epidemic here isn’t as se- nity for crafting a consensus document that did vere as it is in several other U.S. cities. so much to help move this process forward. So tackling this epidemic will take far more Some of the advocates so important to this leg- aggressive approaches than we’ve seen in the islation are with us here today: Ernest Hopkins past, not only from our Federal Government from Cities Advocating for Emergency AIDS but also State and local governments, from local Relief; Frank Oldham, Jr., president and CEO community organizations, and from places of of the National Association of People with worship. AIDS; and Julie Scofield, executive director of But it will also take an effort to end the stig- the National Alliance of State and Territorial ma that has stopped people from getting tested, AIDS Directors. that has stopped people from facing their own And I’m especially honored that Ryan illness, and that has sped the spread of this dis- White’s mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, is here ease for far too long. A couple of years ago, Mi- today. For 25 years, Jeanne had an immeasur- chelle and I were in Africa, and we tried to able impact in helping ramp up America’s re- combat the stigma when we were in Kenya by sponse to this epidemic. While we lost Ryan at taking a public HIV/AIDS test. And I’m proud too young an age, Jeanne’s efforts have extend- to announce today we’re about to take another ed the lives and saved the lives of so many oth- step towards ending that stigma. ers. And we are so appreciative to you. Thank Twenty-two years ago, in a decision rooted in you. fear rather than fact, the United States institut- You know, over the past 19 years, this legisla- ed a travel ban on entry into the country for tion has evolved from an emergency response people living with HIV/AIDS. Now, we talk into a comprehensive national program for the about reducing the stigma of this disease, yet care and support of Americans living with HIV/ we’ve treated a visitor living with it as a threat. AIDS. It helps communities that are most se- We lead the world when it comes to helping

1613 Oct. 30 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 stem the AIDS pandemic, yet we are one of citizens, gathering ideas on how to target a na- only a dozen countries that still bar people tional response that effectively reduces HIV from HIV from entering our own country. infections, improves access to treatment, and If we want to be the global leader in com- eliminates health disparities. And we are en- bating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it. And couraged by the energy, the enthusiasm, and that’s why on Monday my administration will great ideas that we’ve collected so far. publish a final rule that eliminates the travel We can’t give Ryan White back to Jeanne, ban effective just after the New Year. Con- back to his mom. But what we can do—what gress and President Bush began this process the legislation that I’m about to sign has done last year, and they ought to be commended for for nearly 20 years—is honor the courage that it. We are finishing the job. It’s a step that will he and his family showed. What we can do is encourage people to get tested and get treat- to take more action and educate more people. ment, it’s a step that will keep families togeth- What we can do is keep fighting each and ev- er, and it’s a step that will save lives. ery day until we eliminate this disease from We are continuing the work of crafting a co- the face of the Earth. ordinated, measurable national HIV/AIDS So with that, let me sign this bill. strategy to stem and suppress this epidemic. I’m pleased to report that the Office of Na- NOTE: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. in tional AIDS Policy, led by Jeffrey Crowley, has the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White already held 8 in a series of 14 community dis- House. In his remarks, he referred to Ernest cussions in cities across the country. They’ve Hopkins, chair of the board of directors, Com- brought together faith-based organizations munities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief and businesses, schools and research institu- (CAEAR) Coalition. S. 1793, approved Octo- tions, people living with HIV and concerned ber 30, was assigned Public Law No. 111–87.

The President’s Weekly Address October 31, 2009

Each week, I’ve spoken with you about the that it was only several months ago that the challenges we face as a nation and the path we economy was shrinking rapidly and many must take to meet them. And the truth is, over economists feared another great depression. the past 10 months, I’ve often had to report Now, economic growth is no substitute for distressing news during what has been a diffi- job growth. And we will likely see further job cult time for our country. But today I am losses in the coming days, a fact that is both pleased to offer some better news that while troubling for our economy and heartbreaking not cause for celebration is certainly reason to for the men and women who suddenly find believe that we are moving in the right direc- themselves out of work. But we will not create tion. the jobs we need unless the economy is grow- On Thursday, we received a report on our ing; that’s why this GDP report is a good sign. Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This is an And we can see clearly now that the steps my important measure of our economy as a whole, administration is taking are making a differ- one that tells us how much we are producing ence, blunting the worst of this recession and and how much businesses and families are helping to bring about its conclusion. earning. We learned that the economy grew We’ve acted aggressively to jump-start cred- for the first time in more than a year and faster it for families and businesses, including small than at any point in the previous 2 years. So businesses, which have seen an increase in while we have a long way to go before we re- lending of 73 percent. We’ve taken steps to turn to prosperity, and there will undoubtedly stem the tide of foreclosures, modifying mort- be ups and downs along the road, it’s also true gages to help hundreds of thousands of re- that we’ve come a long way. It’s easy to forget sponsible homeowners keep their homes and

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