Political Quotes

“Madam President, early this month, we commemorated World AIDS Day, and so I come to the floor today to speak about the need for America to stay the course in the fight to end HIV/AIDS. Two decades ago--when the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was established under George W. Bush--an HIV/AIDS diagnosis was a death sentence in many parts of the world. Today, the possibility of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic is no longer a dream; it is a realistic prospect. And it should not be a partisan issue. Let's remember that it was President Trump who signed the PEPFAR Extension Act of 2018. We need to set aside the manufactured allegations motivated by hyper-partisanship that have prevented the PEPFAR reauthorization and look at the facts. First of all, PEPFAR is not only the most successful global health program; it is arguably the most successful foreign aid program since the Marshall Plan. It has earned the United States an enormous amount of goodwill around the world and distinguishes us from our strategic competitors. We launched this billion-dollar program because it was the right thing to do, not because we expected a quid pro quo. Our adversaries have never engaged a program of such enormity and what little they do comes with strings attached. I would argue PEPFAR is one of the most effective soft power tools we have. So it is no wonder that countries around the world are looking to the U.S. for leadership in ending the deadly epidemic for once and for all.…”