Congresswoman Lee and Senator Clinton Introduce Resolution Calling For a National Aids Strategy
For Immediate Release
September 16, 2008
Contact:
Clinton Press Office 202-224-2243
Julie Nickson (Lee) 202-225-2661 or Julie.Nickson@mail.house.gov
Members Seek to Highlight Disproportionate Impact of HIV on Minority Communities
WASHINGTON, DC—In light of new statistics showing annual new HIV infections at levels higher than previously believed, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) have introduced a resolution in both chambers of Congress calling for a national AIDS strategy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using new methodology, recently estimated that 56,300 individuals were newly infected with HIV in 2006, a considerably higher figure than previously estimated. The CDC statistics are also evidence of the continued disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS upon African American and Hispanic communities.
“The sobering new statistics on HIV and AIDS in the United States show that this disease continues to take a heavy toll right here at home—particularly in minority communities. It is unacceptable that we are not doing more to address the epidemic in populations where infections rates are highest. This news must serve as a call for a national strategy to combat HIV and AIDS that will partner with individuals and communities who are heavily impacted and bring resources where they’re needed most. We need to renew our commitment to expanding access to effective HIV prevention and increasing the availability of care and treatment for Americans living with HIV. In light of these new findings, now more than ever we must remain vigilant to the task of halting and reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS,” said Senator Clinton.
"It is shameful that 27 years into this global pandemic, the United States still does not have a national strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. If we can require other countries to have a national AIDS strategy before we give them funding through our global AIDS programs, then the least we can do is hold our own government to the same standard. Any such strategy must provide clear and ambitious targets to reduce HIV infection rates, increase access to testing, care, and treatment, and address the spread of this disease among the communities who have been most impacted—especially among African Americans and young gay men,” said Congresswoman Lee.
On August 6, the CDC released a new estimate of the annual number of new HIV infections in the United States, revealing that the HIV epidemic is worse than previously known. The estimate indicated that approximately 56,300 people were newly infected with HIV in the United States in 2006, which is higher than CDC’s previous estimate of 40,000. The new estimate also confirmed that gay and bisexual men of all races, African Americans, and Hispanics were most heavily affected by HIV. The data show the overall impact of HIV is greatest among African Americans, who make up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population but represented 45 percent of new HIV infections in 2006. The CDC report also shows that Hispanics are disproportionately affected by HIV, representing 18 percent of new HIV cases in 2006 while making up only 15 percent of the U.S. population.
Senator Clinton has been a vocal advocate of the need for prevention, testing and early treatment in order to combat the AIDS epidemic in the United States. She has led the push to increase appropriations for domestic AIDS funding in the Senate, encompassing prevention and treatment efforts at multiple agencies. She introduced the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which will allow low-income individuals with HIV to access Medicaid before they become ill. Earlier this year, she and Congresswoman Lee introduced a resolution commemorating June's National HIV Testing Day.
Congresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008, and legislation addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS in 2005. She is the only member of Congress serving on both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education which have jurisdiction over all US global and domestic AIDS programs.
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