Alcee Hastings: “I am a proponent of the International Development Fund, IDA, and I am also a supporter of the measure that is being…”

“I am a proponent of the International Development Fund, IDA, and I am also a supporter of the measure that is being offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). Ultimately, what it boils down to is that we have budgetary constraints that we have created in a time of prosperity. And in all fairness, if we had sufficient motivation, I believe that we would come up with the necessary funds. Thus, we are going to not only have in this appropriation measure, but in countless numbers of other amendments and other appropriations yet to be done and ones that have passed, offsets that are required that pit one program against another. No one can argue that I am not for IDA, and no one can argue that I am not against the spread of AIDS not only in Africa but throughout the world. Let me give some more statistics. HIV/AIDS infects more than 10 million children worldwide. Africa is most affected by the disease, with 70 percent of the world's 34 million HIV infected people. In Botswana, for example, a third of all girls and 16 percent of all boys are infected with HIV. In South Africa, 25 percent of all girls and 11 percent of all boys are infected. Furthermore, they do not educate our children on how to protect themselves.”