Political Quotes

“I rise as founding cochair of the bipartisan Congressional Black HIV/AIDS Caucus to mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Tomorrow, individuals and organizations across the Nation, including in my own 13th Congressional District of California, will organize and advocate for HIV testing and treatment. In the United States, African Americans remain disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. This is especially true for young gay and bisexual men of color. While African American teenagers represent 15 percent of teenagers in the United States, they accounted for 69 percent of all cases reported among teenagers in 2010. The same is true for African American women, who accounted for 68 percent of all new HIV cases among women. Despite the progress we've made in recent years, this Congress has already made unconscionable budget cuts to critical programs that many families and communities rely on. A new analysis by the Foundation for AIDS Research and the National Minority AIDS Council shows, if budget sequestration were to take effect, communities of color would be disproportionately impacted, including more than 6,500 individuals who immediately lose access to HIV treatment. We must reject these cuts and expand effective prevention, care, and treatment programs so that we can once and for all stamp HIV and AIDS off the face of the Earth. ____________________”