Barbara Lee: “I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership, and also Chairman Engel as well as Mr. Smith for their…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership, and also Chairman Engel as well as Mr. Smith for their commitment on this and so many issues. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 517. This important resolution reaffirms our commitment to ending AIDS and calls on our government to maintain its historic contribution to the Global Fund. As one of the original authors of the Global Fund and as co-chair of the HIV/AIDS Caucus, I am pleased that we are moving this bill forward. This legislation has one of the greatest impacts on lives of people around the world. Since 2002, the Global Fund and PEPFAR have saved 32 million lives. That is 32 million lives. That is unbelievable. What is more, the Global Fund has cut the number of AIDS-related deaths in half since 2005 and helped to reduce TB deaths by 37 percent. Mr. Speaker, our country's strong support of this program, which has been bipartisan, coupled with new scientific advances, has helped us turn the tide on achieving an AIDS-free generation. Just this year, during the Global Fund's Sixth Replenishment Conference, the United States maintained its strong commitment to $1.56 billion a year. That is a 33 percent contribution to this important fund. I am glad that we are here today to reaffirm our commitment to the Global Fund and its sixth replenishment fund. The bipartisan and multilateral commitment to this program cannot be overstated. Finally, Mr.…”