Haley Stevens: “after listening to a lecture in 1983 about a new problem called AIDS, I came back to the Senate and asked that $50…”

“after listening to a lecture in 1983 about a new problem called AIDS, I came back to the Senate and asked that $50 million be dedicated to basic research on this subject. Today, I can tell the Senate that right now we have in this year's budget alone $12.5 billion committed to AIDS. I have heard people talk about research for women, infants, and children; about the need for remembering the children; and, the fact that this bill, as Senator Boxer said, has an impact here at home. It certainly does. No one can criticize what we have done about AIDS, no one. I visited with Bono and said: Yes. We will help with AIDS internationally. We started that fund with a contribution in the year 2001. We then increased it for 2002, and we are going to increase it even more for 2003. The House has responded also with more money to help with AIDS. We are going to respond, I hope, and increase this amount even more than we did. We put in $100 million more. This will increase it again by $200 million more. That will make it a $300 million effort for this year in addition to what is already proposed and already in the system.”