Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004, Resumed

FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004—RESUMED

AMENDMENT NO. 2047

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, first, I commend Senator DeWine of Ohio. He is an extraordinary person and an extraordinary colleague. It has been my good fortune to work with him on an amendment relative to this issue of global AIDS. Senator DeWine, by my rough calculation between us, I think we may have added up to $400 million to the fight on global AIDS just with the passage of the last amendment and the two previous efforts, and I commend him. He has worked ceaselessly to get this done, and he has done so well. I was happy to add my name to his effort. He did all the work. He deserves all the credit.

I ask my colleagues now to consider this amendment. For every dollar the last amendment will use to save a life in the war against AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, this amendment will provide $2. For every life that can be saved with Senator DeWine's amendment, this amendment, if passed, will add two more lives that will be saved.

I will tell my colleagues what we do. What we take is the President's promise of $15 billion over 5 years, which comes out obviously to $3 billion per year, and make that our goal in terms of this appropriations bill.

That means adding, to the amount that we just passed, some $589 million. That will bring us to the $3 billion figure that was promised by the President, that was endorsed by the Senate, and, frankly, we will keep our word and our promise to the world. More important, this money is needed, and it is needed desperately right now.

Some have argued that there are a lot of sick people in this world but they can't absorb all this money, these hundreds of millions of dollars that have been sent their way. I urge those who make that statement to consider the following.

CARE is one of the finest charities in the world. My family supports it and many of us do as individuals. Peter Bell, who is the head of CARE, sent a letter to President Bush just a few weeks ago. This is what he said about the need for full funding to $3 billion:

There are hundreds of organizations, secular and faith-based, ready to expand their response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. CARE, for example, has spent 15 years fighting HIV/AIDS, working with host governments, international organizations, and local partners. We currently support HIV/AIDS projects in 37 countries around the world with a total annual budget of almost $15 million. If funding were made available, we would double or triple the size of our HIV/AIDS programming. I believe the same is true for many other AIDS organizations.

That is what Peter Bell wrote to President Bush from the CARE organization just a few weeks ago.

Some of you are familiar with the organization World Vision. You can't watch one of their programs without having your heart torn to shreds. These wonderful people involved in World Vision around the world are working day and night with the most poor people on Earth. Richard Sterns sent a letter to President Bush just a few weeks ago. This is what he said:

Let me assure you, Mr. President, we have the capacity to make a difference now and build for the future. The absorptive capacity is made up of a number of different players, national and local governments, community based organizations, a strong and widespread faith community, and international NGOs.

He then closed by saying this:

It is my opinion that within these various delivery systems, $3 billion in aid can be effectively delivered to those who desperately need it now.

Richard Sterns, president of World Vision.

This Senate has considered this issue. In July, 78 Members of this body—78 of us—voted in a sense-of-the-Senate resolution for full funding up to the authorized level of $3 billion for AIDS. We said in that sense-of-the-Senate resolution we would stand by that number, even if it meant exceeding the levels authorized in the budget.

I can go through my entire statement, but the hour is late. I will not do that to you because I think you all understand it. Let me just say, if there is an argument that the money I am asking for is outside of the appropriations bill, let me remind you, the amendment we just passed was outside of the appropriations bill as well.

If there is an argument that we really don't owe $3 billion, let me tell you, the world thought our pledge was $3 billion. These heads of charitable organizations around the world are telling us that is what they understood the American commitment to be, and we are almost $600 million short this year.

Let me also add, if the argument is to be made that this money cannot be spent, the experts in the field, the men and women who risk their lives every day in the poorest places on Earth, have told us over and over again they need the money and they need it now.

I close with a reference to something I have been thinking about for some time. There was a movie which most of us have seen called "Schindler's List." You will never forget that movie as long as you live. And you remember that this man in Nazi Germany did everything he could think of—trickery, smooth talking, and guile—to save the lives of Jewish people destined for concentration camps. His success was so great that at the end of the movie, they showed in that factory the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people whose lives had been saved.

As he was about to leave them when the war was over, there was that final scene which none of us can forget. They turned to Schindler to give him a ring, a gold ring made out of the fillings of their teeth, in appreciation for what he had done to save so many lives. He broke down in tears, and he said in that movie:

I should have done more. I should have done more.

That is where we are tonight. The DeWine amendment has moved us positively toward almost $300 million in this fight against global AIDS. But we should do more, and we can do more.

My colleagues, please, stand together tonight with our promise from our President on this global AIDS epidemic, a bipartisan promise that brings out the best in America. Let us leave with this bill saying: We kept our word. We stand behind you and we are prepared to lead the world. Let us provide the money and never have to say at some future time: We should have done more.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I personally thank my colleagues. It is late. People would like to go home. I understand the weariness we all feel because it has been a long and hard week. But I hope you all understand this is not just another issue. For many of us—I think for all of us, frankly—this is an issue which is the challenge of our generation. It is the challenge of our time.

I was one of those Democrats who stood and applauded the President of the United States at his State of the Union Address. I thought he made a spectacular, historic commitment that the United States would lead the world in the fight against the global AIDS epidemic. He included tuberculosis and malaria.

Having visited some of the Third World countries that are victimized by these diseases, I stood and applauded in heartfelt support of the President, proud to be an American and proud of what he said: $15 billion over 5 years. We came back in the Senate and we decided to authorize—a Republican majority and the Democratic minority—$3 billion this year.

So this figure of $3 billion is not my creation. It is the Senate's creation. And it is a number which we ratified in July when 78 Republican and Democrat Senators said: Yes, that is what we are going to spend this year, $3 billion. Regardless of budget consequences, we will keep that commitment.

So this $3 billion figure is not one I have come up with. It is one that the President came up with. It is one that the Senate came up with.

Now, a lot has been said about capacity. Let me explain what I think is a misunderstanding here. One of the Senators said: I saw a warehouse full of vaccine that was about to expire. That is proof positive we don't need to send any more money over there because, frankly, it will be wasted. I guess that is the conclusion.

Let me read to you what the President of the United States said when he announced the global AIDS coordinator just a few months ago:

We will set up a broad and efficient network to deliver drugs to the farthest reaches of Africa, even by motorcycle or bicycle. We will train doctors and nurses and other health care professionals so they can treat HIV/AIDS patients. Our efforts will ensure that clinics and laboratories will be built, renovated, and equipped. Child care workers will be hired and trained to care for AIDS orphans. People living with AIDS will get home-based care to ease their suffering.

This is what the President said. What we are doing with this money is not just sending medicine to warehouses. We are doing these things. The President has said we are using this money to build the capacity. Doesn't it defy logic for us to say if we need more nurses and health care professionals, it would be better to wait several years before we train them? We need them now so they can deliver the therapies and medicines necessary to save lives during the next 4, 5, and 10 years.

Shortchanging that capital investment, shortchanging that capacity investment on the front end is a guarantee these poor people will continue to die. Why would we stand by and let that occur?

The saddest thing about this amendment, the saddest thing of all is it is likely to be a partisan amendment. When you look at the rollcall, count the no votes. You are likely to see one political party, and the yes votes another political party. Of every issue in the world today which we will consider, this is the one that should not be partisan. This is the one where the President really summoned all of us to stand together in a bipartisan fashion.

I want to say one word in closing. Senator Frist was here a moment ago. He has left the floor now. He is very busy; I understand. I have such personal admiration for Senator Frist, though I disagree with him on a lot of political issues, but such personal admiration because this man is not only a political leader in America, he is a moral leader of the Senate. He takes his skills as a doctor to Africa, to the poorest places on earth to help the poorest people. Of all the things that could be said of Bill Frist, no one can ever question his moral commitment to poor people. That is not only admirable and honorable, but it speaks so well of him and what we can be when all of us understand that when it comes to issues of life and death for the poorest people around the world.

Please, step aside from party label. Step aside from the moment and say: We are going to do what is necessary to save these lives so some future day we don't look back and shake our heads and say: We should have done more.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. With this amendment, we raise the spending to fight the war on global AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to the level that the Senate promised in its own authorization bill, a level that 78 of us voted for on a bipartisan basis.

We know this is the greatest moral challenge of our time. This is our chance to keep our promise to the world to make certain that America's compassionate leadership is meaningful to people around the world.

I ask my colleagues, please, look beyond the Budget Act. Look to the fact that we have a challenge here that is worthy of our vote at this time. I hope you will support this amendment.

I reserve the remainder of my time.