Statement: Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, before the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives

end of 1994, the number of cumulative cases in the U.S. may reach
385,000, and in that year alone as many as 75,000 may die from
HIV-related diseases. Prevention programs have made progress in
slowing the spread of HIV infection among mature gay males, but
have not been as effective among women, intravenous drug users,
teenagers and young gay males, especially minorities.
The Clinton Administration will exert strong and prominent
leadership in the struggle against AIDS. We must review our
research and prevention activities and seek to improve their
effectiveness in slowing the spread of the virus among all
populations at risk. We must increase funding and improve
coordination of AIDS research. And, we must increase access to
early treatment for individuals already infected with HIV. With
respect to the NIH reauthorization legislation, we support
efforts to strengthen AIDS research programs and to provide a
framework for improved coordination and direction of AIDS
research.
We have some reservations about particular research directives
and other requirements in the bill that appear to be overly
specific and excessively detailed. Some program flexibility will
be lost as a result. However, I understand the process that
Congress used to arrive at this point and the disagreements that
arose between Congress and the past Administration over this
bill. Nevertheless, our concerns are minor compared with the