Henry Waxman: “There is no Federal funding of the needle exchange program anywhere in this country. There is no mandate or requirement…”

“There is no Federal funding of the needle exchange program anywhere in this country. There is no mandate or requirement that a State, city or community use needle exchange. This bill is simply unnecessary. Today States and localities are free to determine with their best scientific judgment whether needle exchange makes sense for their own citizens. They can fund them themselves. But this bill would slam the door now and forever on any possibility of getting Federal funding provided in the future. Even if the State of California wanted to do it, a city like Boston or New York thought it was appropriate, they would, even in the best interest of their citizens, be blocked from using Federal funds. The cold, hard reality is that all of the science shows that needle exchange programs prevent AIDS and save lives. This is a fact. This is the conclusion of the Surgeon General. That is the conclusion of the National Academy of Sciences. That is the conclusion of the National Institutes of Health. If that is not enough for you, it is also the conclusion of the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is not, however, the conclusion of the Republican leadership. Needle exchange programs prevent AIDS and save lives. Period. The proof is overwhelming.”