David Weldon: “my amendment addresses the silent epidemic that is hitting our Nation's children at an alarming rate. Autism is the most…”

“my amendment addresses the silent epidemic that is hitting our Nation's children at an alarming rate. Autism is the most prevalent developmental disorder in America. A couple of decades ago, autism struck a few children out of every 10,000. Today it hits as many as 1 in 250. Over 500,000 Americans are autistic. My amendment increases funding for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant program by $40 million. This will provide States with funding for early diagnosis and intervention for children with autism and other developmental disorders. Early diagnosis and intervention is critical in helping these children reach their greatest potential. For point of reference, it is important to note that the number of Americans suffering from autism is more than half the total number of Americans living with HIV and AIDS. However, you would not know this from looking at the budgets of CDC and NIH. Last year, the CDC spent $12 per person for every person with autism. Conversely, CDC spent about $800 per person for every person with HIV-AIDS. Children are diagnosed with autism through no fault of their own, and we spend almost nothing to figure out why they are autistic. We have an opportunity to provide $40 million for autism early intervention. My amendment shifts $40 million from CDC's HIV prevention account to the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Even with the adoption of my amendment, CDC's HIV prevention budget receives an $80 million increase.…”