00:00Good. Any other members seek recognition? Representative Jackson.
00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to state that I totally agree that the word illegal
00:08should be included in, and I have no objection to this, and I encourage a yes vote. Thank you.
00:13Gentleman yields back. Any other members seek recognition?
00:17Representative Beeks.
00:18And I agree with Mr. Keaton and Mr. Jackson on this one, and I think that it's clear
00:22that Russia was a war of aggression against Ukraine, and I hope we do do this in a bipartisan way.
00:29You'll bet.
00:30Any other members want to agree?
00:33I agree.
00:34Very good. Why not? Very good. Yes, thank you.
00:39Being no further discussion, a question now occurs on the amendment offered by Representative Keating.
00:45I recommend a yes on this. All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
00:49Aye.
00:49All those opposed, signify by saying no.
00:52In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed to.
00:55Thank you, Chairman. Just to show that strong bipartisan support in this, I ask for a roll call vote.
01:01Roll call vote has been requested. Pursuant to the chair's previous announcement, this vote will be postponed.
01:06Are there any further amendments?
01:07Mr. Chairman.
01:09Representative Olcheski.
01:11Thank you. I have an amendment at desk. Amendment number two.
01:13Clerk shall distribute the amendment.
01:15Mr. Chairman, as that's being distributed, I will hope that my colleagues view this as, oh, we have to be red. I'm sorry.
01:28I thought you just wanted to maybe have a-
01:29I've been here long enough. You think I would like know the process.
01:32I thought you just wanted to have a conversation or something. Okay.
01:35Clerk shall report the, or you want to have a conversation with the clerk, maybe.
01:38Clerk shall report the amendment.
01:44Amendment to H.R. 2633, offered by Mr. Olcheski of Maryland.
01:50Redesignate Section 7 as Section 8. After Section 6, insert the following.
01:55Without objection, further reading of the amendment is dispensed with.
01:58Representative is recognized for five minutes.
02:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to my colleagues.
02:03I hope this is an amendment that is also not perceived as an attack on President Trump, but one that gives this committee more information.
02:10For decades, U.S. foreign assistance has transformed lives across South Africa.
02:16American generosity has played a critical role in strengthening South Africa's health care infrastructure,
02:21helping millions of vulnerable South Africans, especially children, have access to nutritious food,
02:27and has supported educational initiatives that empower youth.
02:30Most notably, however, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR,
02:36has stood as one of the most bipartisan and successful U.S. foreign assistance programs for the past 22 years.
02:43In South Africa, PEPFAR's impact has been nothing short of extraordinary.
02:48It's been a lifeline for millions of families across the country.
02:51It has strengthened communities, and it has helped stabilize the country's health system
02:54in the face of one of the world's most devastating epidemics.
02:58In 2023, there are nearly 8 million people living with HIV in South Africa,
03:04with an estimated 6 million people receiving life-saving treatment.
03:09The stakes, however, are not just humanitarian.
03:12They're also strategic.
03:13A healthier South Africa means a more stable, prosperous partner,
03:17supporting a huge $20 billion trade relationship, the largest we have on the continent.
03:22PEPFAR is a model for how our assistance can promote health and prosperity in a bipartisan manner.
03:28Yet today, uncertainty threatens these achievements.
03:31Without strong U.S. leadership and continued commitment to PEPFAR's mission,
03:35we risk reversing decades of this historic progress.
03:39So this is hopefully a simple amendment.
03:41It acknowledges the millions of lives that have been saved by U.S. foreign assistance and programs in South Africa,
03:46and requires a report to this Congress on the number of lives saved by U.S. HIV AIDS assistance in South Africa.
03:53If we're going to do a full bilateral review, which is reasonable,
03:57that's important context to know how many lives U.S. taxpayer dollars have saved.
04:01I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment, and I yield back.
04:04The gentleman yields back.
04:05Any other members seek recognition?
04:07Representative Jackson is recognized.
04:08Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
04:09While I do agree that the generosity of the American taxpayers have saved thousands and thousands of lives on the continent of Africa,
04:16I will have to say that I oppose this.
04:19I believe that this amendment is redundant, as this information that would be required in this report is already publicly available,
04:28and it would be a waste of the administration's time to go through this bureaucratic process of conducting another report
04:34when this is already publicly available information.
04:36With that, I encourage every member of the committee to oppose the amendment.
04:40With that, Mr. Chair, I yield back.
04:41Any other members seek recognition?
04:42Representative Meeks.
04:44I support Mr. Olszewski's amendment, which correctly identifies the role American generosity has played in saving South Africa,
04:52South African lives through PEPFAR and other U.S. assistance.
04:55We have partnered with the South African government for years to address the scourge of HIV AIDS
05:00and literally saved millions of lives.
05:03These accomplishments deserve recognition when we look at the United States-South African relations.
05:09The amendment before us requires the State Department and USAID to quantify just how many South African lives our HIV and AIDS assistance has saved,
05:19an important metric to consider, especially in the context of the evolving bilateral relationship.
05:26South Africa still experiences one of the highest HIV burdens globally,
05:29and it is in our national interest to continue to help them control the epidemic
05:35because we will all benefit when our global health programming saves lives.
05:41And I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment to yield back.
05:45Any other members seek recognition?
05:46Seeing none.
05:49There being no further discussion, the question now occurs on the amendment offered by Representative Olszewski.
05:54I recommend a no on this.
05:55All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
05:57Aye.
05:58All those foes, signify by saying no.
06:00No.
06:01And then pin in the chair, the no's haven't, and the amendment is not agreed to.
06:04Mr. Chairman, request for quarter vote, please.
06:06A roll call vote has been requested pursuant to the chair's previous announcement.
06:10This vote will be postponed.
06:12Are there any further amendments?
06:13Further proceedings on this bill are postponed.
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