Anna Eshoo: “when Congress passed the Ryan White CARE Act in 1990, we sent hope to millions of Americans who were living under a…”

“when Congress passed the Ryan White CARE Act in 1990, we sent hope to millions of Americans who were living under a death sentence that came with a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS. In large part because of Ryan White, outcomes have dramatically improved. This bill fails to uphold the hopeful tradition of the original legislation because it creates a system of winner and losers in the allocation of federal resources. This major reauthorization of our federal HIV/AIDS policy is also being considered under suspension of the rules, prohibiting Members from offering amendments to address the serious deficiencies in the bill. Last week, I offered an amendment with several of my colleagues from the California, New York and New Jersey delegations to increase the overall authorization levels in the bill which would helps address the needs of communities more recently affected by the epidemic. Our amendment also extended the hold harmless provisions of the bill by two years to ensure that the historic epicenters of the disease do not experience precipitous declines in funding levels from year to year. Our amendment was defeated by a single vote. Today we can't offer that amendment or any other. Instead, we're left with a 'take it or leave it' proposed that doesn't adequately respond to the real needs of people suffering from HIV and AIDS.”