Donald M. Payne: “let me express my strong support for this legislation and begin by commending the Bush administration for this…”

“let me express my strong support for this legislation and begin by commending the Bush administration for this initiative of 15 billion new dollars. I would like to also commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, for standing up to criticism primarily from his own friends. In spite of the criticism, the gentleman from Illinois showed that he still has the competitive drive that he had as an outstanding basketball player, that when the game got close, when it got tough, when it was needed, that last push, he stayed the course; and I would like to certainly commend him for that. We appreciate the work of the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach). We have all come together. But let me just say that I have seen the devastation with my own eyes. Over the 15 years that I have been in Congress, I have spent time during my first year visiting hostels and hospitals where HIV and AIDS patients were dying, and it was a time when many people throughout the world were crying out for help. I was devastated because their voices were not being heard. People were dying all around us.…”