Recognizing Fast For Families and World AIDS Day

Floor Speech

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, understanding the rules of the House, nonetheless I would like to say how honored we all are that our special guests, led by Eliseo Medina, are here as part of the Fast for Families. I want to join the distinguished former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, and say that I, too, visited the Fast for Families. I fast for immigration and wear the button.

I am so proud that our House of Representatives showed its respect to the strength of the message of our guests here today because immigration is about America. It is who we are by and large, a Nation of immigrants. It is the constant reinvigoration of our country. Every person who comes here with his or her hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a better future; optimism for the future, the courage to come, to work hard, to play by the rules--that invigorates America. The tradition of family and community and the rest, every immigrant who comes with those values and those goals makes America more American.

I also rise, Mr. Speaker, to talk about a place where immigration and health come together, and I thank President Obama for lifting the travel ban on those infected with HIV. It had been my original intent to seek recognition to talk about World AIDS Day, which we observed yesterday, but I wanted to pay my respect to those who are fasting for immigration.

Our work on HIV-AIDS has been a product of bipartisan cooperation in this Congress over a long period of time. In the White House, though, first with President Clinton, we increased the bilateral programs to fight AIDS and we helped create, authorize, and fund the Global Fund. Then under the leadership of President Bush, we established PEPFAR and provided the necessary funding to ramp up the emergency response to the crisis. President Obama has strengthened those efforts and boosted our investment by launching the National HIV-AIDS Strategy.

In addition to that, President Obama announced that PEPFAR would not only reach its goal of providing treatment for 6 million people by 2013 but will exceed that target by providing 6.7 million people with lifesaving treatment. This is attributed to the leadership of President George W. Bush and to President Obama.

True today, President Obama went further and signed the PEPFAR and Global Fund reauthorization bill into law, and I am proud that President Obama has announced a U.S. commitment of $1 for every $2 provided by other donors up to $5 billion through 2016. This marks a likely $1 billion increase over previous years. That means more lives saved and quality of life increased.

Our work is far from finished. HIV and AIDS is a really resourceful disease, that virus, ever mutating. Just when you think we have it in our sights, it changes, and so we have to be resourceful to our approach to the HIV-AIDS virus because we will not allow HIV and AIDS to claim so many lives when we have within our means the science, the prevention, the care, the search for a cure to make a difference. One of the most exciting parts of it is that we will now be able to have an AIDS-free generation of transmittal from mother-to-child, which is quite remarkable, among other remarkable aspects of it.

This is an important issue about our values as a country, our concern for people in our community and globally across the world, which takes us back to the beautiful reception that our fasters for immigration received when they were here earlier.

As a mom and as a grandmother, I would encourage them not to fast very much longer, but I want them to know that we all recognize their sacrifice, understand the need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, and hope that will happen soon.

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