Jon L. Christensen: “today, before I start, I want to say to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and to the people of North…”

“today, before I start, I want to say to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) and to the people of North Carolina that my heart and the heart of my constituents go out to them. We know what they are going through, although I think their situation is much worse than ours has ever been. We will stand by them and are ready to be of assistance in any way that we can to the people of North Carolina, Virginia, and the other States that are affected. But today, Mr. Speaker, I come here to give a brief overview of some of the critical health care issues that are a priority to the Congressional Black Caucus and its health braintrust which I chair. Many of my colleagues and I will come back on subsequent days to elaborate on the dire statistics that have compelled us and some of our individual critical issues. Last year, the Caucus was able to secure an unprecedented $156 million to fund a state of emergency or what was called a severe and ongoing crisis on HIV and AIDS and to target the needs of African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color with regard to this epidemic.”