Providing for the consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5501) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and for other purposes.

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule which is a cynical attempt to cover political Members of this body who have chosen to elevate partisanship and politics above a real energy solution for American consumers and this economy.

Let me start by answering my good friend regarding the issues that he brought up and the things that he said.

First of all, the bottom line is that there could be 10 million acres or 20 or 50 million acres that could be, quote, ``given to or leased'' by oil companies. They don't want to drill every bit of acreage they have; they only want to drill where the oil is. Dry holes are not good for anybody.

Secondly, when you look at what the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is all about, it is there to protect this country. We should view that ANWR is also a strategic petroleum reserve here for the United States. There are 19 million acres in ANWR. Oil companies aren't after all 19 million acres, they are only after 2,000, just 2,000. That's where the oil is.

And perhaps number three, the gentleman needs to understand this, that energy companies are there to be in the business of providing energy. They are not there for any other reason. They are there to help the American consumer, to support our economy, and to

make sure that America is the greatest Nation on the face of this earth.

I am proud that we have the largest economy in this world and we use energy to make us more successful. We should not apologize or say it is a mistake that America utilizes energy. We simply need to make sure that what we are doing is having a comprehensive, across-the-board view, and not allowing drilling here in America and offshore is a national security issue. That's the side of the story that my friend did not tell this morning. That's why this bill is something we should oppose.

For the last 5 months, everyday consumers and our national economy have been suffering because of this Democrat majority's stubborn and mind-boggling unwillingness to increase the supply of domestically produced oil to reduce prices at the pump. And for over a year and a half, Republicans have been unified in a commonsense approach and a comprehensive approach to bringing down the price of gasoline for consumers, only to have that plan ignored by the new Democrat majority in favor of agenda that prioritizes scapegoats over solutions.

Rather than taking this opportunity to work in a constructive, bipartisan way to address the real domestic energy supply issues, they have let sky-high energy prices stand and continue for consumers.

Today, we are being asked outside of regular order and with no opportunity for Members to offer their own good ideas to bring down the price of gasoline, and we are spending only 40 minutes to debate a fig- leaf piece of legislation that releases 3\1/2\ days' worth of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The gentleman is correct, when there is more oil supply that is available, the price does go down. The gentleman is correct, there have been previous orders by the President to reduce the supply that is in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve directly for consumers. But 3 days' worth is all we are talking about. That is not a long-term fix. We need a strategic petroleum reserve that is called ANWR to make America competitive.

So rather than doing something that would be long term, all they are trying to do is something that would be a political, short-term fix.

Madam Speaker, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is intended to deal with natural disasters and national security crises, not preventable, man-made political disasters like the short supply of energy that we have today in America because of the Democrat Party no-energy strategy.

The world understands it. As a matter of fact, I was out on the west side of the Capitol just yesterday as Republicans were talking about our ability to go drill here in America and offshore. And whole loads, bus loads of Democrat staffers and others are out front saying, No drill, shame on the Republican Party. My gosh, I do understand that that is the policy of the new Democrat majority. We're working their plan. That's why gasoline is at $4 a gallon. We simply disagree in the Republican Party.

However, there is one small bright spot associated with this legislation, and it is by bringing it to the House floor today, the Democrat leadership is finally admitting there is a supply-side component to addressing America's energy concerns. My colleague was very plain and forward when he said: When we dump oil into the marketplace, the price goes down. Unfortunately, seriousness of purpose in dealing with the problem has not accompanied this long-overdue revelation--which is why we are here debating this do-nothing cover vote today instead of real solutions to our problems.

Yesterday I joined my Republican colleagues when we proposed a smart, innovative and comprehensive approach to addressing our Nation's energy independence solution, a problem whose guiding philosophy can be summed up by one simple principle, use less and find more.

Rather than just releasing over a weekend's worth of energy and calling it a day, like the Democrat proposal does, the Republican plan is to increase the supply of American-made energy in an environmentally sound way. This is what Republicans are pushing on the floor of the House of Representatives yet again today.

We believe our deep-water oil resources, ocean resources, could provide an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day as well as 76 trillion cubic square feet of natural gas. These are proven reserves. We should open the Arctic coastal plain, which could provide an additional 1 million barrels of oil a day. We should allow development of our Nation's shale oil resources, which could provide an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, and we would increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that hinders the construction of new refineries.

To improve energy conservation and efficiency, our legislation will provide tax incentives for businesses and families to purchase more efficient vehicles. It will provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency. To promote alternative and renewable energy technologies, this legislation will spur the technology of alternative fuels through government contracting by repealing the section 526 prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promotion of coal-to-liquids technology.

We will establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain. We will extend permanently the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen, and we will eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production.

Speaker Pelosi and this new Democrat majority have the power to bring these already-developed commonsense solutions up for a vote at any time. Trust me, Madam Speaker, the Republicans are here to help. But what we want is real solutions. We want to drill now to save America.

Speaker Pelosi should choose to be with Republicans in a bipartisan answer, but, instead, this Speaker is choosing to ignore the American public in favor of a radical environmentalist agenda. I will be giving every Member of this body the opportunity to show where they really stand on energy independence during the vote on the rule's previous question. I encourage every single Member who agrees with me that this country needs to increase its supply of safe and reliable American energy to force this Democrat leadership to finally act by rejecting the cynical rule and the meaningless underlying legislation so that this House and the American people will be prepared for real legislation that will have a real effect at the pump.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, you know, I would love to cut a deal with the gentleman right now and say Republicans would be completely for this bill if you would do something for more than the 3 days' supply if we would really approach the emergency that the American people are talking about, and let's do something long term. We have already had President Clinton 12 years ago sign the pen that said we are not going to go after ANWR. We would have had that online now.

Why do we assume that in 5 or 6 or 7 years we are not going to need this energy? We are going to need the energy.

This new Democrat majority, to a Member, is withholding from the American people the opportunity to get prices down now. To say that we would raid the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 3 days' worth of gasoline is laughable. It's laughable because the American people understand that what this new Democrat majority is all about is having the energy prices stay where they are. They see that the Democrat plan evidently is working, the Democrat plan to squeeze American interests out and to send the money overseas.

We have seen that now for 18 months. That's the Democrat majority's plan. They want to keep building Dubai. They want to keep giving the money to countries who do war against the United States and don't hold us in favor. They want the money and the business to be done overseas. They want the jobs to go overseas. That's really where this new Democrat majority is.

If it were the Republican Party and reversed, it would be about all the special interests that we're trying to give. But in this case, it is about the American consumer that sees that their prices are at a high level simply to make sure that this Democrat majority sends the money overseas because they really don't like the energy companies here in America. That's anti-American.

Madam Speaker, the Republican Party has great alternatives that are on the table today. We want a long-term comprehensive fix for energy, and we will continue to tell the American people, just as we are here telling our colleagues here today, that we recognize who has the capacity and the ability to bring a bill to the floor today to answer the problem. The problem is the lack of resources of supply in the gasoline marketplace, and it's extending also to high fuel prices that will be paid in the Northeast this winter, and it is the new Democrat majority that is responsible for that. This is their plan. They're getting what they wanted, and we will keep building Dubais and keep sending our money overseas as long as we cut off American jobs and American energy companies.

I think it's a bad thing for policy for this country. That's why the Republican Party has an alternative. I wish that it would be heard today on the board to where we could vote for it.

Madam Speaker, we reserve the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, let me agree with the gentleman. Psychology does have a lot to do with this. That's why Republicans, instead of trying to fall victim for a 3-day fix or for a long-term fix--so let's get into the psychology for just a second.

How about if somebody brought legislation to the floor that said, you know what? I think we ought to open up American deep-water oil resources, ocean resources, because we do understand there are war games that bipartisan Members of this House go attend to where we do understand that if international shipping where oil was concerned, if there was a bad mistake or a problem, that we would be in trouble.

So why don't we, as just a good idea, let's open up America's deep water ocean resources, which could provide an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day, but it doesn't end there, and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Why don't we also bring to the table, let's open up the Arctic Coastal Plain, which could provide an additional 1 million barrels of oil a day. But there is more.

How about allowing the development of America's shale oil resources for an additional 2.5 million barrels a day?

So instead of having just a 3-day fix and arguing all these new issues that we bring up would take 10 to 20 years to bring to the consumer, not true. It can be done tomorrow. We could decide, and we should have decided 12 years ago. We should have decided last year. We should decide that today, what we want to do is to make available the resources of this country in the event, in the future, there really is a big problem.

So the Republican Party is here on the floor today with real live answers to real live problems that are happening every day.

And so once again, we will give this new Democrat majority credit. The energy prices are the way that the Democrat Party wants them to be. They do want prices to be high. They do not want a supply unless it is paid for by the government. And they are not for a long-term solution because it would mean that we would be using those big oil companies resources.

My gosh. We are going to hold the American consumer hostage. We are going to hold people in the Northeast who use and need this oil this winter hostage, when, in fact, when it is 100 degrees outside, we are saying, do this now; let's prepare. Let's be prepared for the future.

And instead, this new Democrat majority argues, time in and time out, not going to drill, not going to put any more supply in, and prices will simply continue to rise.

Madam Speaker, somebody will have to face up to the day of reckoning, and that day of reckoning is going to be when American consumers, in the dead of winter, are not only paying high prices at the pump, but also high prices to heat their home.

We are trying to do something today. We have been trying to do something for 18 months, and this new Democrat majority refuses, refuses to see the facts of the case.

We reserve the balance of our time.

We reserve our time.

You know, it's great to hear about this private meeting that took place in the year 2000, and to now learn about all the attributes of the meeting.

I would speculate, since I am sure the gentleman did, that ANWR would have been in that list of things that the President of the United States would have wanted, the consumers want, that ANWR would have been on there, that every place that we would drill economically, and ecologically, in a sound way, that that would have been on the table too. That is exactly probably what the President had in mind and probably what the energy companies had in mind.

Let's put American resources, jobs and national security to the advantage of the American people, instead of the plan to send all this money overseas to build Dubai. That is a mistake.

Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana, Dr. Boustany .

Madam Speaker, could I please find out how much time is left on both sides.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I believe I heard the gentleman say he has no additional speakers; is that correct?

Madam Speaker, we will reserve our time.

Just so the gentleman from Massachusetts has an opportunity to call my bluff, I'll take him up on it. I'll take him up on it.

We do believe there is something immediately that can be done, and we've been asking for this for years and years and years because the fact of the matter is, as we've already heard, there is a lot of psychology. The gentleman from the State of Washington talked about psychology just a few speakers ago. Well, here is the psychology. If you bring your own oil to the table, the other side sees what you're willing to do and their oil's worthless because they cannot hold you hostage.

So what the Republican Party does want to talk about today is today, tomorrow, Labor Day, and moving forward. And that's why we're talking about bringing 3 million barrels of oil per day, 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 1 million barrels of oil from the Arctic coastal plane, and 2.5 million barrels a day from the shale that's in this country. Darn right we want to talk about today.

But the fact of the matter is that we've been talking about this for years, and now they make it seem like the debate just started today. The debate did not start today. The debate started back when President Clinton was in office. We asked for and passed a bill at that time, and the President said, ``No. You cannot have ANWR.''

And now we get to today and they act like, ``Well, it just started. But Republicans don't want to talk about today.'' Darn right we want to talk about today. We want to talk about what has been talked about, that is the psychological effort as well as a today's efforts; and that's why the Republican Party is here yet another day.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask how much time remains on my side.

Mr. Speaker, I understand the gentleman from Vermont is through with his speakers and wishes to close.

I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).

Mr. Speaker, today I urge my colleagues to vote with me to defeat the previous question so this House can finally consider real solutions to rising energy costs.

If the previous question is defeated, I will move to amend the rule to allow for the additional consideration of H.R. 6566, the American Energy Act.

I ask unanimous consent to have the text of the amendment and extraneous material inserted into the Record prior to the vote on the previous question.

I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1362 and ask for its immediate consideration.

For the purpose of debate only, Madam Speaker, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my colleague, classmate and good friend, Representative Diaz-Balart. All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1362.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1362 provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.

The rule provides 1 hour of general debate on the motion controlled by the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Madam Speaker, the Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act is a comprehensive and fiscally responsible way to continue and advance America's leadership in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

I might add that the two persons for whom this act is named were persons that exemplified and manifested throughout their careers the need for the Foreign Affairs Committee to proceed in a comprehensive and responsible manner.

The bill authorizes $48 billion to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria for fiscal year 09 through fiscal year 2013, and includes guidelines and goals for reducing the burden of these diseases.

The bill supports culturally competent prevention and treatment measures that are based on empirical evidence rather than ideology.

Additionally, the underlying bill includes provisions that support a multi-faceted approach to treating and preventing the three diseases, and encourages foreign and domestic health care entities to collaborate.

The bill prevents foreign governments from unjustly profiting from U.S. aid and prohibits them from taxing the funds that the bill authorizes.

Lastly, the bill seeks to improve oversight, transparency and accountability in assessing the progress of United States global HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs.

Madam Speaker, the United States has become an important player in combating these global epidemics. However, although the underlying bill has bipartisan support, some have argued that it is imprudent to invest in global health programs while we are experiencing so many problems domestically. Nothing, in my opinion, could be further from the truth. Investing in global health ultimately leads to communities and countries that are more economically, socially and politically stable. In this globally connected era, it is imperative that we address health and development in foreign countries.

Malaria was virtually eradicated in most of the West more than 50 years ago. In fact, the Washington D.C. area was particularly vulnerable to this disease. Effectively resolving this health threat undoubtedly contributed to the ability of our country and other Western countries to thrive and prosper. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the 40 percent of men, women and children who are at risk for contracting malaria live in poorer countries, with less access to education, preventative health care, and treatment.

As we consider this important bill, we would be remiss if we did not look at it as an opportunity to think about how we can improve our response to HIV/AIDS and other debilitating diseases that affect people in this country.

The fight against HIV/AIDS is also a fight against the health, economic and educational disparities that continue to exist in communities that have been historically underprivileged.

Nearly three decades after the first national reports on HIV/AIDS, the disease has reached every corner of the world and has claimed an estimated 25 million lives.

Although the scope of HIV/AIDS has changed, the link between socioeconomic disparity and those who contract and die from the disease remains consistent around the world. In our hemisphere alone, whether you're talking about Honduras or Haiti or my home State of Florida, people of African, indigenous, and Hispanic ancestry are disproportionately contracting and dying from HIV/AIDS.

Madam Speaker, this issue hits close to home for me, as Florida has consistently ranked third in the Nation in the number of reported cases of HIV/AIDS. In 2006, blacks accounted for 45 percent of all AIDS cases in men and 69 percent in women, which is more than any other racial or ethnic group in the State of Florida. Sadly, in that same year, the HIV/AIDS case rate among black women was 17 times higher than among white women.

In the absence of a cure, education and increased access to medication are the most powerful and cost-effective ways to treat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS around the world. Yet the resistance of antiretroviral drugs and other treatment has not translated into accessibility. Less than 25 percent of patients in developing countries and 30 percent of patients domestically receive antiretroviral treatment. Even more, the consequences of allowing people to remain ignorant about HIV/AIDS has proven to be just as deadly as the virus itself.

Consider this: Political leaders of countries particularly stricken by HIV/AIDS have told their citizens that HIV/AIDS can be controlled by consuming garlic, lemon juice, and beet root. Such a statement sounds unquestionably absurd to most. However, around the world, people continue to be misinformed about preventing and treating this disease. They allow fear to halt open and honest discussions about this disease.

Personally, I have hosted three town hall meetings in the last year and a half in the congressional district that I'm privileged to represent. At each of them, activists, specialists, religious leaders and the general public have openly discussed and asked questions about how to address HIV/AIDS in their community. These fora have been educational and meaningful tools in fighting this disease, and more are needed.

I might add that at those fora, Madam Speaker, some courageous young women that are HIV/AIDS infected appeared and gave their testimonies, compelling in respect to their own issues, and informative as to those that were in the audience to hear people who are living with this disease actually put forward ideas about the need for greater education, information and treatment.

As a leader in global health and human rights, Madam Speaker, this country, all of us, must not allow ignorance, stigmatization, and unequal access to medication to continue in this country or abroad. By supporting this bill and the underlying bill, we're investing in global health, the global economy, and our global community as a whole.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to my good friend and fellow Rules Committee member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth Sandlin).

Madam Speaker, I would like to compliment the speaker, Ms. Herseth Sandlin, for pointing out the needs that Native Americans have. It is extremely important, the issues that she spoke to. And at another point in time, I am hopeful that we will address the diabetes question with greater strength in this body's involvement.

At this time, Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from the Virgin Islands, Dr. Donna Christensen, who has been involved in not just this particular issue but all of our health care issues in a fashion that few Members are involved in this body.

Madam Speaker, at this time I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), my good friend who on yesterday and days previous led the fight on having us get relief in this country in foreclosure and cities having an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way in trying to help those in the need area of affordable housing.

I yield the gentlelady 30 additional seconds.

I would inquire of the gentleman from Florida if he has any remaining speakers.

I'm the last speaker for this side, Madam Speaker, and I'll reserve my time until the gentleman from Florida has closed for his side and has yielded back his time.

Madam Speaker, this is a good rule for a critically important bill. The sooner that the House approves this rule, the sooner the U.S. can continue to save and improve millions of lives around the world and here at home.

The Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act has received overwhelming support across the political spectrum because it balances fiscal responsibility, oversight and comprehensive health care programs.

I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting a bill that uses scientifically proven strategies, international cooperation and cultural competence to combat some of the most devastating diseases in recent history.

We executed an aggressive response to the tuberculosis and malaria epidemics in this country because we understood that it would allow us to be a stronger and better Nation. Although we have made tremendous progress in our country, the battle is far from over.

As the richest nation in the world, we now have the privilege of helping other countries on their road to development. We must use the knowledge that we gain from these partnerships to address the disparities that continue to deprive countless men, women and children in this country and abroad of a healthy and productive life.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule that brings the underlying bill to the House.

Madam Speaker, before I close, I want to address this request of my good friend and colleague from Florida about energy. What he is saying is, and the people on his side of the aisle, is immediately upon the adoption of this resolution, the House shall, without intervention of any point of order, consider in the House the bill, H.R. 6107, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program that will result in an environmentally sound program for the exploration, development, and production of the oil and gas resources of the Coastal Plain of Alaska, and for other purposes.

Now this bill that we're here on, Madam Speaker, is named after two of the most distinguished persons that have ever served in this body. My colleague from Florida and all of us that are here knew both of these men and

knew their seriousness when they came to this floor about matters. We commemorate their memory with this bill. But what we do is we denigrate their memory by bringing up political hyperbole, political grandstanding, exhausting political hyperbole and bumper stickerism. Enough of this.

Everybody knows that we have put forward, on the side that I am privileged to represent as Democrats, numerous measures dealing with these matters. We all know that there are 68 million acres off the shore that are leased already to oil companies. Footnote. Has anybody asked any of these oil companies whether or not they want to drill in these areas? And in ANWR there are 23 million acres that are available.

How dare we come here with this pitiful excuse for a previous question and say to the American people that on a matter of this consequence, on a matter of dealing with malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/ AIDS that we would come here and denigrate the name of the two persons that we commemorate with such a foolish proposition. It makes absolutely no sense.

Now we will hear, obviously from now until the time that we're out of session, from my Republican colleagues about energy. And I have said to them repeatedly and over and over and over again, that all the hyperbole, switchgrass, deed exhaustion, coal, shale, offshore, ANWR, all of those things, geothermal, I can name them. All of us in here can name them. Many of those are things in the future. All of us know that we have a crisis in this country. Every man and woman in the House of Representatives and in the United States would like to solve that crisis. We know that speculators are involved in this. We put forward energy legislation. Nancy Pelosi led with energy legislation. Markey and Dingell have been on the floor repeatedly with energy legislation. We are here about AIDS, and someone would dare come here and talk about energy. That's crazy.

Let me thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership and the ranking member, the chairperson of the full committee, Mr. Berman, and pay tribute to our good friends the late Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde, who have captured, in essence, what our war against HIV/AIDS is all about. It has to be comprehensive and expansive. It has to recognize the overlapping impact of tuberculosis and malaria.

Mr. Speaker, I think one of the most telling scenes that I was able to experience, sadly so, was walking into a little hut in Zambia and seeing an emaciated body or person, if you will, being taken care of by a 4 year old. That individual had HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

So this legislation is crucial in the overall comprehensive war against the devastating diseases when there is no water, no nutrition, and poverty. This targets 12 million new HIV infections. It is treating millions of people. It's supporting care for 12 million. It has a focus on women and girls. It provides a focus on the anti-retroviral treatment that is so important that goes after opportunistic infections. It provides a certain amount of money, $9 billion, for malaria and tuberculosis over 5 years. It goes to the very essence of a 4 year old being the only remaining healthy person in his family having to care for sick relatives suffering from HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and many suffering from malaria.

This is an important step forward. And, yes, we have many responsibilities in this Congress. I join my friend from Iowa. We will be working hard to provide the support systems that those individuals need. But at the same time, this is a tribute to great leaders like our former and late chairpersons of this committee, Chairman Hyde and Chairman Lantos, who recognized that to those who are given much, much is expected.

This bill responds to the devastation and need around the world. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to speak on not only an important issue in this country but around the world. I can only note that it gives me great pause that my colleague, Congressman Tom Lantos, did not live to see the fruit of his hard work on this bill. However, I know his family and his colleague Congressman Henry Hyde have kept this legislation alive and moving through this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing for H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 on PEPFAR to come to the floor today.

jackson-lee amendment

I would also like to thank both Chairman Berman and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on African and Global Health, Congressman Payne, for working with me to include important language in this legislation. My language, in Section 301 of this bill, addresses the necessity of making children a priority among individuals with HIV for proper food and nutritional support. Section 301, with my language included, states that it is the sense of Congress that ``for the purposes of determining which individuals infected with HIV should be provided with nutrition and food support--(i) children with moderate or severe malnutrition, according to WHO standards, shall be given priority for such nutrition and food support; and (ii) adults with a body mass index, BMI, of 18.5 or less, or at the prevailing WHO-approved measurement for BMI, should be considered `malnourished' and should be given priority for such nutrition and food support;''

Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I believe that this language is crucial, and I thank the Chairman for including it in the text of the bill. HIV-infected children have been underrepresented among beneficiaries of PEPFAR-supported programs. As this legislation cites in the findings section, ``of those infected with HIV, 2.5 million are children under 15 who also account for 460,000 of the newly-infected individuals.'' And even these large numbers are deceiving, as children die much quicker from AIDS than do adults. I am pleased to see this language, which focuses attention on the plight of these children, and makes serving their needs a priority.

pepfar

In January 2003, President Bush announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. As its name implies, PEPFAR was envisioned as an emergency response; we are here today to discuss how to transition to a sustainable program to address these global epidemics.

HIV/AIDS continues to represent a serious and large-scale challenge throughout much of the world. It goes far beyond a simple health problem, and it hinders attempts to foster economic development and political stability. As we begin the process of reauthorizing PEPFAR, I believe it is crucial that we emphasize the long-term sustainability of our HIV efforts, and that we integrate AIDS prevention and treatment within our larger-scale development initiatives.

Though we have drugs that are effective in managing infections and reducing mortality by slowing the progression to AIDS in an individual, they do little to reduce disease prevalence and prevent new infections. For this reason, there is growing consensus among health experts that we must put greater emphasis on prevention programs, which are perhaps the most critical aspect of any initiative to combat global HIV/AIDS. Even as increasing numbers of people have access to anti-retroviral drugs, ARVs, an estimated 5.1 million people who needed treatment did not receive it in 2006.

tuberculosis

The World Health Organization, WHO, estimates that throughout the world someone contracts TB every second and that one third of all people in the world are currently infected with TB. Tuberculosis spreads easily from one person to another: when the infected person coughs, the bacilli or TB germs are spread into the air and another person need only to inhale a small number of the bacilli to be infected. The World Health Organization, WHO, estimates that each person left untreated with active TB will infect, on average, between 10 and 15 people every year. Although the TB bacilli can lie dormant in the body for years and its effects may not be immediately felt, if one has a weakened immune system, such as through HIV/AIDS, the chances of becoming sick will increase.

In 2005, nearly 9 million people contracted tuberculosis, of which 84 percent occurred in high burden countries, with all but two of the high burden countries in Africa and Asia. This demonstrates the necessity for special attention to these high burden countries, particularly in Africa. Among the 15 countries with the highest estimated TB incidence rates, 12 were in Africa, due in part to relatively high rates of HIV co-infection. About 80 percent of all cases in the world were found in 22 countries, all but 4 were found in Africa or Asia.

Some 2.97 million people in Southeast Asia were newly infected with TB and about 2.57 million in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2004, sub-Saharan Africa was the only region in the world where TB prevalence was growing; elsewhere the number of cases was stable or falling. Despite our concerted efforts, we continue to face a serious and persistent health threat. I believe that it is imperative that we ensure that American taxpayer dollars are used to greatest effect, not to bolster ideology.

Current restrictions on PEPFAR mandating that \1/3\ of all prevention funds must be used on abstinence-only education neglect the real needs of populations both in America and abroad. These stipulations hurt the ability of PEPFAR to adapt its activities in accordance with local HIV transmission patterns, and they impair efforts to coordinate with national health plans. Though AIDS is clearly a global problem, it does not affect every nation equally or in the same manner. Removing these stipulations would allow PEPFAR to better address

the requirements of each country, making more efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars in serving the millions affected by this disease.

In addition, I believe it is crucial that we dedicate greater attention to strengthening local health infrastructure. Health experts have expressed concern that the high amount of spending directed toward HIV/AIDS initiatives has drawn health workers away from public health facilities and other important programs. This merely compounds a chronic shortage of qualified health workers, which, according to WHO's 2006 World Health Report, is the single most important health issue facing countries today. This need is felt particularly sharply in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Many health experts also continue to advocate greater integration between PEPFAR and other health programs, including those focused on nutrition, maternal and child heath, and other infectious diseases. These experts note that HIV is intricately linked to these other areas of concern; for example, malnutrition and lack of food may heighten exposure to HIV, raise the likelihood of engaging in risky behavior, increase susceptibility to infection, and complicate efforts to provide anti-retroviral, ARV, medication. Further, an HIV epidemic will likely worsen food insecurity, by depleting the agricultural workforce. I believe it is necessary, to ensure maximum effectiveness, that we integrate PEPFAR with other aspects of our international health outreach and development programs.

Mr. Speaker, if we are to turn the tide of turmoil and tragedy that HIV/AIDS causes to millions around the world, and hundreds of thousands right here in our backyard, it is imperative that we continue to fund and expand medical research and education and outreach programs.

hiv/aids

I want to share briefly the importance of continued action in awareness for this virulent disease and the nexus between TB and HIV/ AIDS, another issue which I am passionate about and would like to see eradicated as I am sure many of my colleagues would. According to the World Health Organization, there were 33.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 2007.

People living with HIV/AIDS are at a greater risk of becoming infected with TB because of their weakened immunity. In 2004, out of the more than 740,000 people who contracted TB and were co-infected with HIV/AIDS, 600,000 of those co-infected were found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Similar to TB, HIV/AIDS has risen to epidemic levels particularly for our African countrymen. According to UNAIDS, in 2005, there were 3.2 million newly infected Africans and 2.4 million Africans who died of HIV/AIDS related complications. The current life expectancy for a person living with AIDS in Africa is 47 years old.

Such high rates of infection can be prevented. The transmission of HIV can be reduced through proper education and resources. Additionally, proper resources can help the treatment of HIV. We must make these resources more accessible to those who need it most.

malaria

Malaria is another disease that must be addressed. According to the World Health Organization, more than 500 million people become severely ill with malaria and more than one million people die of malaria every year, mostly infants, young children and pregnant women. Perhaps most shocking is WHO's estimate that a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. More than 90 percent of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Speaker, malaria is both preventable and curable. Early and effective treatment can shorten its duration and prevent the development of complications and the great majority of deaths.

concluding statements

Key factors that contribute to continuing high rates of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria include: weak health care systems, poor access to health facilities, insufficient staffing and other human resource constraints, ill equipped and substandard laboratory services, and little collaboration between TB and HIV programs.

Mr. Speaker, what is so striking about these factors is that they are all preventable. We must address and work to rectify these human factors that have led to such unnecessarily high fatality rates throughout the world, particularly in African nations. I urge my fellow colleagues to join me in support of PEPFAR and H.R. 5501.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, many of us seek a place in this hallowed institution to serve our country and our constituents, to make a difference, to help change the world for the better. Mr. Speaker, today we are given an opportunity to edge ever closer to the accomplishment of these goals.

Today we have an opportunity to positively impact the lives of countless human beings worldwide by recommitting ourselves to fighting and eliminating a great threat to our international security, and that is the global AIDS pandemic.

The bill before us reauthorizes the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003. Before this bill was enacted, known as PEPFAR, only 55,000 people living in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving life-saving treatment, but according to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, through PEPFAR, the United States now has supported treatment for 1.68 million people in Africa and 1.73 million people worldwide.

Further, the United States has provided prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women enduring nearly 12.7 million pregnancies. We have also prevented an estimated 194,000 infant infections. We have supported care for more than 6.6 million people in need, including more than 2.7 million orphans and vulnerable children. We have supported over 33 million counseling and testing sessions to date for men, women, and children.

These successes are truly remarkable and serve as a testament that all can be accomplished when Members from the House and the Senate on both sides of the aisle work together to find solutions to one of the world's most pressing challenges.

The 2008 reauthorization seeks to consolidate and advance the successes of the past 5 years by providing the funding and the framework to transform this from an emergency program to a sustainable program. It stands as a noble legacy of the late Henry J. Hyde and Tom Lantos who spearheaded this mission of mercy 5 years ago, and I am proud that the bill bears their names.

The stakes for this initiative, Mr. Speaker, are higher than ever. Despite the best efforts of responsible nations to confront the global AIDS pandemic, there are now over 33 million people around the world living with this disease. An estimated 7,000 new infections occur every day. In its wake, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is leaving a trail of poverty, of despondency, of death, which has destabilized societies and undermined the security of entire regions.

Our former House colleague and current ambassador to Tanzania, the Honorable Mark Green, wrote to me highlighting the threat that HIV/AIDS poses to the security of our country. And he said, ``In tearing apart the social fabric and leaving a generation of orphans, the scourge of HIV/AIDS could create a long-term breeding ground for radicalism.''

So it is therefore incumbent upon us, Mr. Speaker, to advance this critical program which not only saves lives and exemplifies the generous humanitarian nature of the American people, but it also helps to preserve our national security.

It is important to note that even in the most remote areas of Kenya or Haiti, for example, people know about the PEPFAR program. They know from where the test kits, the medicines, and other life-saving support is coming. They recognize the leadership and the resources that the United States has provided in an effort to fight this deadly disease, and they are deeply appreciative. This is not just a health program. This is a public diplomacy program as well, and it has greatly enhanced global understanding of the true nature and the essence of the American people at a critical time in our Nation's history. We have led by example, and our success has been measured in human lives saved.

Now, the House has debated and adopted this bill by an overwhelming margin in April of this year. This House text was the product of a bipartisan compromise that preserved the spirit of the 2003 Act while balancing a number of congressional imperatives. Just as in the House, our Senate colleagues sought to produce legislation that would capitalize and expand upon the success of the energy plan while maintaining the bipartisan political consensus that has guided this program from its inception.

After 3 months of negotiations, the amendment before us was approved in the Senate by a margin of 80-16, demonstrating the strong bipartisan commitment of the Senate of their own carefully constructed compromise.

The Senate amendment contains numerous modifications to the text approved by the House in April. It reduces the authorization of HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs from $50 billion to $48 billion. It allows for a gradual increase of resources over time rather than authorizing $10 billion for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2013. It requires more than half of all funding appropriated for bilateral HIV/AIDS assistance be expended for treatment and care. It replaces the hard target for treatment with a sliding scale whereby the treatment target will increase over $3 million in direct proportion to increased appropriations. And further, it authorizes the use of compacts as further vehicles for HIV/AIDS assistance in an effort to promote sustainability.

Mr. Speaker, the Senate amendment preserves and strengthens other critical provisions that were at the heart of the House compromise overwhelmingly adopted in April. For example, it corrects an unintended omission by including care under the conscience clause which allows faith-based organizations to disassociate themselves from any program or activity to which they have a religious or moral objection. Also, it amends the abstinence and fidelity language contained in section 403 by striking behavior change programs including abstinence and fidelity, and inserting activities promoting

abstinence and fidelity. This modification provides clarity to the compromise reached in the House last spring.

The Senate amendment also includes two provisions that have raised some concern, including the establishment of a $2 billion emergency plan for Indian safety and health, and the lifting of certain restrictions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The first provision, the Indian Safety and Health title of the Senate amendment initially raised concerns about mandatory spending and unfunded mandates. However, the Congressional Budget Office has verified that the language in question is an authorization and does not have implications for direct spending.

It also bears mentioning that the health programs will be implemented through the Indian Health Service which is subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services.

With respect to the second item, Mr. Speaker, lifting the ban is largely symbolic because the authority to waive the restriction already exists and is routinely exercised, albeit on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, an alien with HIV would still be inadmissible under current HHS recommendations on communicable diseases of public health significance, and this would continue to be the case until and unless the regulations are changed. The Senate amendment includes offsets for the estimated additional costs involved with the processing of these new visas.

Throughout this process, Members on both sides of the aisle have been forced to make difficult choices to arrive at a consensus that carefully balances U.S. priorities and the range of congressional concerns. The challenges have been great and at times have seemed insurmountable. But a failure to act now would imperil our ability to provide life-saving support to millions of people in need around the world and will ultimately undermine what is arguably the most successful United States foreign assistance and public diplomacy program today.

We have been given a unique opportunity to help make the world a better place for those who have been victimized by the AIDS pandemic while simultaneously enhancing our own Nation's security.

I urge my colleagues to support the Senate amendment to the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 so that this bill can be signed by the President without further delay and we can get to work on saving even more lives.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on International Organization, Human Rights, and Oversight.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), a member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), a member of the Committee on Appropriations.

I yield the gentleman 30 seconds, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself the balance of my time.

I believe that PEPFAR is the most successful example of American foreign assistance since the Marshall Plan. Just as the Marshall Plan protected American lives by helping to stabilize a continent ravaged by war, PEPFAR is protecting American lives today by helping to stabilize a continent ravaged by disease.

More than just express American compassion, PEPFAR also protects American security. Let us give our strong support to H.R. 5501.

In closing, I would like to thank the following staff members of our Foreign Affairs Committee who have dedicated many long hours to ensuring that this bill is signed into law and we can continue U.S. efforts to save lives. For the

majority, Dr. Bob King, Peter Yeo, Dr. Pearl Alice Marsh, David Abramowitz and Kristin Wells. On our side, the Republican side, Joan Condon, Mark Gage, Doug Anderson, Sarah Kiko, Sam Stratman, Sheri Rickert, and our fabulous GOP staff director, Dr. Yleem Poblete. Thank you so much.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that our colleagues will see the meritorious nature of this proposal, because the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a significant threat to global health. It's also a leading threat to global stability. We can help fill this void. We can help stabilize the continent. We can help save lives by passing this bill today and sending it to the President's desk. As soon as tomorrow, we can have it on the President's desk and have a bill signed by next week.

We are in a position where we can make a difference, because this virus is killing millions of people in the prime of life. These are parents. These are teachers. These are government officials, public health workers and military officers, people who hold the fabric of life together for their community. We have an opportunity to rise to the challenge, pass this bill and save their lives and save a generation of lives around the world.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1362, I call from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 5501) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I offer the motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I yield myself 7 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, a few short months ago the House gave its strong bipartisan approval to H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. Last Thursday, the Senate followed suit, approving its amendment to the House bill by an overwhelming margin of 80-16.

We meet today to take up the Senate amendments and to send this bipartisan legislation to the President for his signature. The measure before the House today is a compromise, a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, between the House and the Senate, and between Congress and the executive branch. The fact that compromise was achievable in this highly politicized era is a testament to the bipartisan roots of this legislation.

Five years ago, Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde, our dear deceased colleagues, working closely with the White House, crafted a global HIV/ AIDS bill that enjoyed broad bipartisan support. This groundbreaking legislation had a clear and achievable goal, to respond with compassion to those who were dying of AIDS, dramatically increase our Nation's efforts to stop the spread of HIV virus, provide care to children orphaned by AIDS, and get lifesaving medications immediately to those in need.

As a result, our Nation has provided lifesaving antiretroviral medicines to nearly 1\1/2\ million men, women and children, supported care for nearly 7 million people, including nearly 3 million orphans and vulnerable children, and prevented an estimated 150,000 infant infections around the world.

Most importantly, the United States has given hope to millions infected with the HIV virus, which just a few short years ago was tantamount to a death sentence.

This law worked well as an emergency intervention to deal with the rapidly expanding HIV/AIDS crisis. But the nature of that disease has changed significantly since then. We now have 5 years of experience in grappling with this pandemic on a global scale, and the reauthorization bill before us reflects what we have learned.

The law we passed in 2003 was designed to deal with the emergency phase of the HIV/AIDS crisis. This legislation moves our programs towards long-term sustainability that will keep the benefit of U.S. global HIV/AIDS programs flowing to those in need. With this reauthorization, host governments will also gain the ability to plan, direct and manage prevention, treatment and care programs that were originally established with U.S. assistance.

The reauthorization bill authorizes nearly $50 billion over 5 years for these three pandemics. These additional funds allow us to significantly boost the health care workforce in those countries hard hit by HIV/AIDS with new professional and paraprofessional training programs, and to increase the number of HIV positive individuals receiving lifesaving medicine.

The 2003 law focused on creating new programs to tackle the crisis. The reauthorization bill increases the number of individuals receiving prevention treatment and care services. It builds stronger linkages between the global HIV/AIDS initiative and existing programs designed to alleviate hunger among those treated. It helps to improve health care and bolster HIV education in schools.

The 2003 law began to address the needs of women and girls. But given the changing nature of the epidemic, we clearly did not go far enough to meet these needs.

The new legislation remedies this situation by strengthening prevention and treatment programs aimed at this extremely vulnerable population. The Lantos-Hyde bill eliminates the one-third abstinence- only earmark, but requires a balanced approach to sexual

transmission programs and a report regarding this approach in countries where the epidemic has become generalized.

In an effort to ensure that our contributions to the global fund are being wisely spent, the bill provides for certain benchmarks to improve the transparency and the accountability of the fund. The bill incorporates tuberculosis prevention from H.R. 1567 sponsored by Congressman Engel. It seeks to further integrate HIV/AIDS programs with TB and malaria programs and create linkages and referrals between these programs for patients.

H.R. 5501 heightens U.S. efforts to combat malaria by requiring the development of a comprehensive 5-year strategy to combat this disease. It creates a new U.S. Government Malaria Coordinator, and it enhances support for clinical research for new diagnostics, treatments, and interventions to prevent, cure, and control malaria.

The Senate made several changes in our bill. It overturned the existing visa ban on HIV-positive individuals. It targeted $2 billion of the $50 billion authorization for Indian health care, water resources, and law enforcement issues. It modified the goal for people living with AIDS and removed a linkage between the global HIV/AIDS program and family planning.

Despite these changes, the language before the House today is very close to what we approved last April. With passage of this reauthorization bill, Congress signals to the world that the United States would exercise continued leadership in the global battle against malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

So what we have here is a bipartisan bill providing nearly $50 billion for the battle against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, a bill that has strong bipartisan support, and one that the President has indicated he will sign into law.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I want to take special note that in the short time that I have been chairing this committee, I want to mention two particular people who have both helped educate me, two Members, colleagues on the committee who have played a major role in helping to guide this legislation and the earlier legislation: the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, Don Payne, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, both of whom have been involved in this legislation and the previous legislation from the beginning and were pushing for this even long before that passed.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady very much for her great words, and more importantly, for her really complete commitment to this project before and now.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.

Mr. Speaker, I am now very pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman I referenced earlier, the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, Mr. Payne of New Jersey.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

I yield myself 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, without joining issue with the gentleman on his other comments, the suggestion that this is not curing AIDS is directly contrary to the evidence I saw firsthand in Africa earlier this month. There are huge numbers of people there who would now be dead, who are alive simply because of the drugs that this money allowed them to get. I don't know what the definition of the gentleman's cure is, but they are living normal, active lives as a result of the drug therapies.

I insert a Statement of Legislative Intent regarding nutrition into the Record at this time.

On behalf of Chairman Payne, Mr. McGovern, and Mrs. Emerson, I would like to make the following statement regarding the intent of the House on H.R. 5501.

H.R. 5501 and the Senate amendment to H.R. 5501 provide clear and specific instructions to the USAID Administrator and the Global AIDS Coordinator to address the food and nutrition needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS and other affected individuals, including orphans and vulnerable children; and to fully integrate food and nutrition support in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs carried out under this act.

We are concerned about the negative effect rising costs are having on our long-term and emergency food aid programs. This is a matter that affects a wide array of our food aid and development programs, including the effectiveness and success of our Global HIV/AIDS programs.

On behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and members who have been very involved in international nutrition, we wish to state that it is the legislative intent of H.R. 5501 and the Senate amendment to H.R. 5501 that food security and nutrition programs, especially those referred to as wrap-around services, are not to be funded with monies diverted from other standing commitments to address food insecurity elsewhere in the world or in these countries.

I'm very pleased to yield 5 minutes to my friend, just a major architect of this whole program, the gentlelady from California (Ms. Lee).

I am pleased to yield the gentlelady an additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time.

The bill has been described, and its consequences have been discussed. But I can't help but come back to the comments from my friend from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) with respect to the effects of this bill. The notion that there are now pregnant women who, because of new discoveries in medicine, can take drugs which allow their baby to be born without being HIV positive, I call that saving lives and curing the problem. This is happening all over the countries where these programs are working. The notion that the United States is helping to take care of the orphans and other vulnerable children who are left without parents as a result of this epidemic I call saving lives and curing a problem.

And as the ranking member said in her opening comments, the effect on these people and their recognition of the role the United States is playing is having a--it's a secondary question, but it's an important one--it's having a massive impact on how they perceive this country at a time when, for many other reasons, this country has not been perceived well in this world.

This has been a remarkable program that has gone on. And I want to add my compliments to the staff, all the staff on the minority who worked on it, as well as Peter Yeo and Pearl-Alice Marsh and David Abramowitz, Kristin Wells, Heather Flynn with Chairman Don Payne, Christos Tsentas with Congresswoman Lee, as well as Mark Synnes with legislative counsel, Naomi Seiler and Jessica Boyer from the Oversight Committee staff, and on the Senate Foreign Relations majority staff, Brian McKeon and Shannon Smith. These are people who not only helped put this bill together, not only invested huge amounts of their time in working with the outside coalition forces, who have been working on the ground on these issues in Africa and other places, and also dealt with the administration, these are people who, when I got thrown into this issue, helped educate me. And I'm very grateful for all they have done to make this happen.