On the recordJuly 18, 2012
Next week, more than 20,000 delegates from around the world will convene in Washington for the International AIDS Conference. I find it ironic and a little bit sad that, as so many mobilize to fight this deadly epidemic, the majority in this body want to cut $150 million from USAID's global health initiative, which funds AIDS prevention efforts. When will we learn? Fighting diseases in the developing world is more than a matter of humanitarian decency. It's also critical to our national security. This week, as we debate how much money to appropriate to the Defense Department, I hope we will remember that defending America and our values isn't just about how many weapons we build, but how many lives we save around the world. This is the core truth behind my SMART Security proposal, that fighting terrorism and keeping our country safe depends less on American military force and more on American compassion. ____________________
