Ed Royce: “Many have described the crisis: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria. These take countless lives every day, especially on the…”

“Many have described the crisis: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria. These take countless lives every day, especially on the continent of Africa. These diseases devastate families, they devastate communities, and nations. This bill is titled the ``Leadership Act,'' and it is titled that way because it honors two former Foreign Affairs Committee chairmen who indeed did show leadership in forging this legislation 5 years ago. And, with this act, the United States will continue to lead in tackling these killer diseases. As others have said, this legislation did not come together easily; and the reason it is difficult is because many people have strong views on how best to fight these diseases. This bill is a compromise. It would have been far easier to hold onto positions, probably, but that would have gotten no bill. But, instead, those working on it did the hard work to craft a policy that most everyone could support. Frankly, had it not been done, it would have been a sharp rebuke to the work Chairman Hyde and Mr. Lantos did 5 years ago. Tens of millions of people around the world would have lost, and America would have lost. That we are in this position now, to continue these two men's legacy, is due to the dedication of Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen. I particularly appreciate their inclusion of a provision I had recommended prohibiting foreign countries, foreign governments, from taxing our aid, and I thank them for that provision.”