Congressional Record—Senate S9547
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July 17, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S9547 partner with us. That is a sign of a nouncement, as he should have. AIDS rolling and the headlines fade away, great man. I think he is a great leader is a dreadful disease which is currently this administration seems to have es- for the world as well as for Great Brit- inflicting an almost unimaginable toll tablished a troubling pattern of repeat- ain. I hope that people don’t think of it on the African continent, devastating edly making promises but failing to de- as a speech of a liberal or even of a con- entire populations. liver the dollars needed to keep them. servative. He was speaking to us as Sub-Saharan Africa has been far The drastically underfunded No Child Americans and bringing out the best in more severely affected by AIDS than Left Behind Act and the President’s us. I really am delighted that we gave any other part of the world. According skimpy funding requests to meet our him the opportunity to speak to us. to UNAIDS—the Joint United Nations homeland security needs are perfect f Program on HIV/AIDS—in 2002, there examples. were 29.4 million people living with Last week, as President Bush visited DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AP- HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. five African countries, he again PROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004—Contin- Africa has about 10 percent of the pledged that the United States would ued world’s population but more than 70 play a leading role in combating AIDS. Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, we are percent of the worldwide total of in- The President repeatedly promised to awaiting an amendment to be offered. I fected people. In fact, the infection do all in his power to make sure that hope Senators will come and bring rate among adults is about 8.8 percent Congress fully financed his proposed 5- their amendments. in Africa, compared with 1.2 percent year, $15 billion program to attack the Mr. REID. Would the Senator yield? worldwide. disease in the world’s poorest coun- Mr. STEVENS. I yield to the Senator More than 17 million Africans have tries. I commend him for having gone from Nevada. died from AIDS since its emergence, to Africa, and for promoting greater ef- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I say to the and UNAIDS estimates that by 2020, an forts to fight AIDS. distinguished comanager of the bill, we additional 55 million Africans will lose He should be held to his commitment are waiting for Senator BYRD to come their lives to the epidemic. The sheer to those in Africa who are suffering and offer his two amendments, one brutality of these statistics is hard to from AIDS. dealing with adding some money to the fathom and must tug at the hearts and Clearly, an expectation has been cre- bill, the other dealing with adding souls of all of us in this body. ated that the administration and Con- some money for AIDS, rearranging the AIDS’ severe social and economic gress will provide $3 billion toward this bill, I should say. consequences are depriving Africa of noble initiative in fiscal year 2004, as The Senator from Delaware is consid- skilled workers and teachers while re- language explicitly authorizing that ering offering an amendment and also ducing life expectancy by decades in amount for fiscal year 2004 is spelled the Senator from California, Mrs. FEIN- some countries. An estimated 11 mil- out in the new Global AIDS law that STEIN, and Senator SCHUMER. I would lion children in Africa have been or- the President proudly signed. say to those Senators or their staffs phaned by AIDS—having literally Unfortunately, despite all the recent who are within the sound of my voice watched their AIDS-inflicted parents headlines, photo-ops, and White House that Senator BYRD is not here. I am slowly slip away before their eyes. promises regarding the African AIDS sure we could move forward on one of These AIDS orphans are now facing in- crisis, the simple fact remains that the their amendments. I would recommend creased risk of malnutrition and re- President did not put enough money that they work their way to the floor duced prospects for education. AIDS is behind his promises, as he failed to in- or at least call the cloakroom so we being blamed for declines in agricul- clude $3 billion to fight AIDS in his fis- can get them lined up to offer one of tural production in some nations, and cal year 2004 budget. That is right! He their amendments. There is really a is regarded as a major contributor to requested only $1.9 billion, not the $3 down time here now. the famine threatening southern Afri- billion that the world now expects. I think it would be to everyone’s ad- ca. The United Nations Development That is $1.1 billion less than what he vantage that we move forward on this Programme Annual Report for 2003 promised. most important bill. As has been indi- states that, ‘‘HIV/AIDS is a catas- Just last Thursday, Members of this cated, we are going to certainly try to trophe for economic stability and may body went on record, by a vote of 78-to- finish this bill tonight. It appears we be the world’s most serious develop- 18, in support of a Sense of the Con- can do so. We don’t have a lot of ment crisis.’’ gress Resolution that stated our intent amendments remaining. For far too long, the world has to provide full appropriations for the The PRESIDING OFFICER. What is turned a blind eye to the suffering on $15 billion AIDS initiative touted by the will of the Senate? the African continent. Does the United our President, including $3 billion in Mr. ALEXANDER. I suggest the ab- States, as the wealthiest Nation on fiscal year 2004. sence of a quorum. Earth, not have a special moral respon- The lives of millions worldwide are The PRESIDING OFFICER. The sibility to act to alleviate some of the at stake. Now is the time to honor the clerk will call the roll. worldwide misery caused by AIDS? financial commitment made by Con- The assistant legislative clerk pro- Americans have always been generous gress and the President to combat ceeded to call the roll. and caring people, and I have no doubt Global AIDS. My amendment to the Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unan- that they would expect their elected of- Defense Appropriations bill would do imous consent that the order for the ficials to rise to the occasion and take just that by allocating $750 million in quorum call be rescinded. the lead in ridding the world of this fiscal year 2004 to the Coordinator of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without horrid disease, wherever it takes root. United States Government Activities objection, it is so ordered. I am pleased by Congress’ initial re- to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally for the AMENDMENT NO. 1283 sponse to the President’s call for ac- purpose of making a contribution to (Purpose: To rescind $1,100,000,000 of the tion to combat the AIDS crisis in Afri- the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuber- amounts appropriated for procurement and ca—with passage of the United States culosis, and Malaria and $350 million research, development, test and evalua- Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuber- for the Secretary of Health and Human tion, and to appropriate $1,100,000,000 for culosis, and Malaria Act of 2003. And I Services for programs to combat AIDS fighting AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, and ma- was encouraged that our President overseas. This amendment would be laria) publicly touted the legislation’s pas- completely offset by a $1.1 billion Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have an sage as a moral triumph. across-the-board cut in the amounts amendment which I shall send to the However, I have seen far too many appropriated for the Department of De- desk shortly. fancy White House bill signing cere- fense under Titles III and IV of this This January, in his State of the monies and dressed-up press releases in legislation for Procurement, as well as Union Address, President Bush an- the last 21⁄2 years to be entirely con- for Research, Development, Test and nounced a 5-year, $15 billion global fident that this Administration would Evaluation. AIDS initiative. The President re- simply keep its promise to fully fund The bill before the Senate includes ceived a lot of praise for that an- this legislation. Once the cameras stop $73,976,000,000 in procurement spending, VerDate Jan 31 2003 03:44 Jul 18, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G17JY6.082 S17PT1 S9548 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 17, 2003 an amount that is $1,255,000,000 above Prevention and the National Institutes of enormous number of vehicles and air- the President’s request. This bill also Health. craft that have to be replaced because includes $63,565,000,000 for research and Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the co- of the damage they have suffered from development programs, a level that is sponsors are Senators CLINTON, PRYOR, activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. $1,738,000,000 above the President’s re- LAUTENBERG, MURRAY, and CORZINE. I The modernization funding in this quest. Certainly, the Senate should be ask they be added. account is also for the National Guard willing to reduce the current procure- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without and Reserve. We all have some real ment and research funding by less than objection, it is so ordered.