Jon L. Christensen: “A little over a month ago, I rose to urge the passage of H.R. 1298 because of the moral imperative for Congress to act…”

“A little over a month ago, I rose to urge the passage of H.R. 1298 because of the moral imperative for Congress to act and take an affirmative step towards fighting AIDS globally, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean. We may not be able to correct all the deficiencies we saw in that bill today, but the Lee-Rangel amendment does help in one critical area, and that is in expanding the coverage of that $15 billion emergency plan to an additional 14 countries in the Caribbean. As you know, Mr. Chairman, the Caribbean has the second highest rate of HIV infection and AIDS in the world, and the economies of those small island nations are strained to deal with the impact of it. I want to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for their leadership and commitment for the Caribbean and for continuing to press for the amendment that is before us now. I urge my colleagues to support it.”