Political Quotes

“last week I was honored to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, along with Secretary of State John Kerry; Global Aids Coordinator, Ambassador Eric Goosby; Senator Mike Enzi; Namibian Health Minister D. Richard Kamwi, and Tatu Msangi, a PEPFAR beneficiary and nurse from Tanzania. Ten years ago, AIDS threatened the very foundation of societies in Africa--creating millions of orphans, stalling economic development, and leaving countries stuck in poverty. Before PEPFAR started in Namibia in 2004, Minister Kamwi explained, nearly one in four pregnant women in Namibia were infected with HIV, yet only a handful of them could access treatment. The circumstances were dire, and it was clear something needed to be done. The visionary leadership of President George W. Bush and the Congressional Black Caucus, especially the late Congressman Donald Payne Sr. and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, led to the establishment of the program in 2003 with an initial $15 billion to fight HIV and AIDS worldwide. Today, thanks to the ongoing, bipartisan U.S. commitment to PEPFAR, hope has replaced despair, life has replaced death, and productivity has replaced illness and disability. PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally, and it has saved and improved millions of lives. Today Namibia's mother-to-child HIV transmission rate at 6 weeks is less than 3 percent. Thanks to PEPFAR, Ms.…”