End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act, a bill sponsored by my good friend, Mr. Smith of New Jersey. I want to commend him for his efforts as being a steadfast leader on this very important issue that is going to save lives--and has saved lives. He is really the conscience, I think, of this body when it comes to this issue.

NTDs represent a group of parasitic and bacterial diseases that currently afflict more than 1.4 billion people worldwide. They can result in severe disabilities such as blindness, compounding existing social and economic challenges in the areas where these diseases thrive.

To be clear, the United States has taken a leadership role in the fight against NTDs. As many of these diseases have approved treatments, USAID's NTD program has supplied medicine to key impacted countries using an innovative public-private partnership, as Congressman Smith alluded to.

Since 2006, USAID has leveraged more than $22 billion in donated medicines to provide about $2.6 billion in treatments. However, there is much more to be done, especially to build global political support to fight NTDs.

To that end, this bill directs our flagship global health program, PEPFAR, to find opportunities to integrate NTD research and care into their existing efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, where appropriate.

To lessen the U.S. burden in this fight, this bill also encourages greater participation in the research, treatment, and care of NTDs from the Global Fund, the United Nations, and other G-20 partners.

NTDs pose a significant threat to health outcomes and have a detrimental effect on developing economies. I again thank Mr. Smith for his great leadership on this issue. And, once again, to pass something in this House that will save lives is truly one of the most gratifying experiences that we, as Members of Congress, have.

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