Bill Clinton: “Good morning. Thank you very much. First, let me welcome Speaker of the House and other distinguished Members of the…”

“Good morning. Thank you very much. First, let me welcome Speaker of the House and other distinguished Members of the House of Representatives here. I appreciate their coming. I understand they were able to get a little more sleep than the Senators were last night. I also want to welcome all the rest of you here. Before I make the announcement that we're all here to witness and to be a part of, I do want to say a word about the vote that was cast early this morning in the United States Senate to pass a version of the economic plan which I presented to them, which, to be sure, was changed to some extent from the House plan but still reflected, I think, a remarkable degree of courage: $500 billion in deficit reduction in the Senate plan, over 78 percent of the new revenues coming from people with incomes above $200,000, real commitment to significant budget cuts that were slightly greater than the ones in the House plan, and now clearly more budget cuts than tax increases. The most important thing is that now both Houses of Congress, under very difficult circumstances, with the same old rhetoric of the last 12 years flying at them, had the courage to try to change this country for the better. What this means is incalculable. It means we can now move on to a conference committee with a clear signal to the financial markets that its interest rates should stay down and people should be able to continue to refinance their homes and finance their businesses at lower interest rates and that for the first time in a very long time an American President can go to a meeting of the G-7 nations in a position of economic strength, trying to lead a renewal of growth and opportunity all over the world. So I very much appreciate that. I want to compliment Senator Mitchell, Senator Sasser, Senator Moynihan, in particular, for their leadership and the courage of the Senators who voted in the way they did, so that we can go forward. One of the things that was in this budget that has received almost no notice is a real commitment to intensifying our efforts to deal with the AIDS crisis, even in the midst of all the budget cutbacks. One of those important efforts is the naming of a new AIDS coordinator with a higher visibility, a more important policy role, and more influence in the National Government than has been the case in the past. It is my distinct pleasure today to announce the appointment of Kristine Gebbie as our Nation's first AIDS Policy Coordinator. This position has never existed before, but circumstances now require us to look for unprecedented remedies to an unprecedented problem. Today, as we toil against one of the most dreaded and mysterious diseases humanity has ever known, we must redouble our Government's efforts to promote research, funding, and treatment for AIDS. The appointment of Kristine Gebbie is part of our pledge to do that. She is a proven health care leader who will bring to the administration years of experience in the AIDS field. I'm confident she'll work hard to ensure that our Nation no longer ignores an epidemic that has already claimed too many of our brothers and sisters, our parents and children, our friends and colleagues. I'm particularly pleased that Kristine Gebbie is so committed to helping our AIDS effort, for she certainly is no stranger to the field. To begin with, she hails from the Pacific Northwest, one of our country's most progressive regions when it comes to health care. A former nurse, she became the administrator of the Oregon Health Division, a position she held for 11 years, and later served as the secretary of the Washington State Department of Health. Currently she serves as a special consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services. She's also spent a lot of her time and energy on AIDS prevention. Since 1989, she's served as Chair of the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on the Prevention of HIV Infection. She served on the Presidential Commission on AIDS. She was for 3 years a member of the National Academy of Sciences AIDS oversight committee, and she was chair of an HIV committee of State health officials around the United States. AIDS is terrifying. It inflicts tragedy on too many families. But ultimately, it is a disease, one we can defeat just as we have defeated polio, many forms of cancer, and other scourges in the history of our Nation. How can we do it? With commitment and courage and constancy, and with vocal and responsible leadership from our Nation's Government. Already this administration has requested a large increase in funding for AIDS research and prevention, even in the face of our severe budget cutbacks. We are now moving toward full funding of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act. Our budget requested in fiscal 1994 a 78 percent increase in funding for Ryan White, an 18 percent increase for AIDS research, and a 27 percent increase for prevention. In addition, the upcoming health care reform plan will make sure that AIDS sufferers are not victimized by unfair insurance policies when they seek treatment for their illnesses. AIDS touches all of us, and no single group should be discriminated against on the basis of this disease. To make Government's role in AIDS more efficient, we're also taking steps to coordinate AIDS policy. On June 10th, I signed into law the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act that establishes an AIDS research office to coordinate all the AIDS research at NIH. By now appointing an AIDS Policy Coordinator, we will ensure that one person in the White House oversees and unifies Governmentwide AIDS efforts. Kristine Gebbie will be a full member of the Domestic Policy Council and will work closely with the Department of Health and Human Services-- and I'm glad to see Secretary Shalala here today. She has my full support in coordinating policy among all the various executive branch departments. With the dedication and leadership that she has shown and that she will bring to this effort, I believe we will be able to wage the battle against AIDS with complete resolve. I look forward to working with her as we tackle the challenges that are posed to us. I assure you this is another step in the beginning of our effort, not the end of my personal commitment. This will guarantee the kind of focus this effort has long needed. Ms. Gebbie. [At this point, Ms. Gebbie thanked the President and discussed a coordinated approach to AIDS.]”