Jerry Lewis: “I rise with very, very great reluctance to oppose this amendment, and I want to take a moment to explain to my…”

“I rise with very, very great reluctance to oppose this amendment, and I want to take a moment to explain to my colleagues my involvement with issues such as this over a number of years. I am not sure that many of the Members realize this. Some may recall. But I was a new and greenhorn Member in the House in 1980 when I carried a resolution around the House seeking signatures from Members on both sides of the aisle. It had to do with promoting fundamental research on a new problem that society was just beginning to recognize, a thing called AIDS. Virtually every one of my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle said, you want to do what? Because nobody knew what the problem was in those days. That was the first resolution on this issue. As a new member of this subcommittee, I was the member who put the first dollars, and it was only $200,000 then, in for AIDS research in this subcommittee. I have a grave concern with where we have been and where we need to go in this whole subject area. Indeed, housing for people who are impacted by this incredible problem, as well as challenge to our society, deserve and need our support. But one more time, we are talking about very difficult funding levels and balancing programs that are very important. How do you balance? These programs spend out at about 3 percent to 4 percent a year.…”