Earl Blumenauer: “I am proud of what transpired in the Committee on International Relations this last couple of months in moving this…”

“I am proud of what transpired in the Committee on International Relations this last couple of months in moving this legislation forward. It was reported out of committee by an overwhelming bipartisan majority, and it shows what we can do when we come together in a bipartisan fashion. I commend the administration for its support of a creative solution for the HIV-AIDS epidemic that Members from both parties can support. It has been referenced that some of our colleagues have interpreted ABC as 'anything but condoms,' and we are going to talk about that on the floor as various amendments come forward; but I think it is critical that we take a step back and not put a political agenda ahead of a program with proven success. I hope that my colleagues can withhold their desire to impose their standards on hundreds of millions of people that live in different countries with different cultures, in wildly different communities. There is too much at risk for global health, which certainly includes our own in this country. Addressing the AIDS epidemic, tuberculosis, and malaria not only benefits the health of those individuals, it is going to stabilize communities and regions that are devastating. And, yes, it is going to help us at home as we work to alleviate global issues of health, safety and security. The SARS epidemic provides the most recent, graphic, current example of the need to address epidemics at a global level before they affect us here in America.”