Diane Watson: “Mr. Chairman, I am proud to speak today in support of the Lee-Leach amendment to dedicate resources to the fight against…”

“Mr. Chairman, I am proud to speak today in support of the Lee-Leach amendment to dedicate resources to the fight against the global HIV/ AIDS crisis. The scope and severity of this crisis are not just a global health challenge but one of economics as well. The crisis has been felt harshly by less developed countries, the very countries whose governments are least equipped to handle this scourge. Critics of this amendment are concerned that it would reduce foreign military spending. But the global HIV/AIDS crisis poses as direct a threat to the security of many nations and the safety of their citizens as a more conventional military challenge would. The global fight against HIV/AIDS requires at least the same commitment that this Nation has made to training foreign militaries or fighting our war on drugs. If we do not take part in funding the research and the treatment, it could wipe out our forces, not only abroad but here in this country, too. Let us shift our priorities. Let us train an army of doctors to fight the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Let us declare war on this dreaded disease. And, most importantly, let us vote for the Lee-Leach amendment which will take a strong first step at addressing the economic challenge of the global HIV/AIDS crisis.”