The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 21, 2012

Fact Sheet: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States

“So this fight is not over.  Not for the 1.2 million Americans who are living with HIV right now.  Not for the Americans who are infected every day.  This fight is not over for them, it’s not over for their families, and as a consequence, it can’t be over for anybody in this room -- and it certainly isn’t over for your President.”
--President Obama, December 1, 2011
 
Since taking office, President Obama and his Administration have taken many steps to address the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic.  Under this leadership we are closer to the goal of an AIDS free generation.
 
Towards an AIDS-Free Generation
 
President Obama and his Administration have:
 
• Supported robust funding for HIV/AIDS programs. The President’s 2013 domestic HIV budget is over $22 billion dollars, and domestic HIV funding has increased by $2.5 billion during his administration.
 
• Created and implemented the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which has reinvigorated the domestic response to HIV/AIDS by making smarter and coordinated investments in science, prevention, and treatment.
 
• Called on Congress to increase Federal funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in 2013 to $1 billion because all Americans living with HIV/AIDS should have access to life-extending treatment.
 
• Began implementing the Affordable Care Act, which will increase HIV testing and access to treatment for 30 million Americans. An estimated 3.8 million African-Americans and 5.4 million Latinos, populations at highest risk for HIV, will gain coverage by 2016 under the new law.
 
• Addressed HIV-related stigma and discrimination, including through lifting the HIV entry ban and supporting the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, including HIV.
 
• Supported groundbreaking National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) research that is making a difference in people’s lives by developing new life-extending HIV treatments and prevention technologies.
 
American Leadership in Action
 
American leadership in the epidemic has been pivotal to the remarkable progress we’ve made in HIV prevention and treatment. In the early days of the epidemic, scientists at the NIH helped lead key research that led to the identification of HIV and proved that it causes AIDS, and later oversaw the development of AZT, the first drug to treat AIDS.
 
Today, thanks to scientific advances in treatment, a person living with HIV on treatment is expected to live a near-normal lifespan. Over half a million people living with HIV receive care and treatment through the Ryan White program, which was established in 1990 and has been maintained with consistent bipartisan congressional support through four Administrations. Successful prevention efforts have averted more than 350,000 new infections and mother-to-child transmission of HIV has dropped by more than 90% since the early 1990s.  HIV prevention has also generated substantial economic benefits.  A recent CDC study estimated that our domestic prevention efforts have averted $129.9 billion in medical costs.
 
Despite our remarkable progress in preventing new infections and saving lives, there are approximately 50,000 new HIV infections in the United States each year—and nearly 20% of people living with HIV do not know they are infected. There are nearly 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, many of whom continue to lack access to life-extending care and treatment.
 
Creating an AIDS-Free Generation
 
To better address the domestic epidemic, President Obama directed the White House Office of National AIDS Policy to work with researchers, healthcare and AIDS service providers, advocates, and people living with HIV/AIDS to develop the nation’s first-ever comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).  Implementation of the NHAS has brought renewed hope and momentum to the domestic AIDS response.
 
The National Strategy has four main goals: to reduce new HIV infections; to increase access to care and improve health outcomes; to reduce HIV-related health disparities and inequities; and to achieve a more coordinated national response to the epidemic.  These goals are tied to specific action steps that provide a roadmap to achieving them, including: intensifying HIV-prevention activities in communities where HIV is most heavily concentrated; expanding availability of HIV care; supporting expanded lab reporting; addressing health disparities by focusing on social determinants; and enhancing coordination and collaboration within Federal agencies.
 
Multiple Federal Departments and agencies respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic by promoting HIV testing, linking people with HIV to medical care, and providing life-saving medications, housing, and other services. They include:
 
• NIH is responsible for the largest public investment in HIV/AIDS research in the world. NIH funds a global network of researchers who are working to: understand HIV and how it causes disease; find new tools to prevent HIV infection; develop new and more effective treatments for people infected with HIV; and, ultimately, discover a cure to end the epidemic.
 
• CDC is primarily responsible for the Federal response to domestic HIV prevention. CDC provides funding and technical assistance to health departments and community-based organizations, tracks the epidemic through surveillance activities, identifies new prevention interventions through research; and conducts HIV awareness campaigns.
 
• The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program works with cities, states, and community-based organizations throughout the nation to provide HIV-related services to people  who do not have sufficient healthcare coverage or the financial resources.
 
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Program works with grantees around the nation to provide funding for housing assistance and related supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS.
 
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cover medical care and prescription medications for eligible individuals who are living with HIV/AIDS.
 
• AIDS.gov expands the visibility of Federal HIV policies, programs, and resources; encourages government and other stakeholders to use new media tools to extend the reach of their HIV prevention, testing, and treatment work.
 
Looking Ahead
Domestic efforts to contain the epidemic will be based on the NHAS and will focus on investing in evidence-based approaches for effective HIV prevention and treatment. These include:
 
• Expanding healthcare coverage to increase HIV testing rates and increase access to life-extending treatments.
 
• Supporting evidence-based HIV prevention efforts, including condom distribution, HIV testing, comprehensive substance use treatment, and antiretroviral treatment to protect partners.
 
• Working to reduce HIV related stigma and discrimination, including through enforcing anti-discrimination laws and ending denial of insurance coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
 
• Continuing to support a robust scientific portfolio, including research focused on the development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine and a cure.
 
• Focusing efforts to engage populations most at risk for HIV in the United States, including gay men and women of color.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 21, 2012

Fact Sheet: HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma and Discrimination

“More awareness is needed so that no one with HIV/AIDS is stigmatized or discriminated against.”
 
--President Obama, June 8, 2011
 
In the beginning of the epidemic, no one knew how HIV was spread or how contagious it might be. Fear and ignorance were powerful drivers for stigma and discrimination.  People living with HIV/AIDS lost their jobs, their homes, and even their friends and families. Despite our progress in understanding and treating HIV, stigma and discrimination continue to be serious issues for people living with HIV/AIDS across the globe.
 
Creating an AIDS-Free Generation
 
In 2010 President Obama unveiled the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which is grounded in a vision that explicitly addresses stigma and discrimination: “The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identify or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination. The Strategy outlines the steps we need to take to reduce stigma and discrimination for people living with HIV/AIDS:
 
·         Engage communities to affirm support for people living with HIV: Faith communities, businesses, schools, community-based organizations, social gathering sites, and all types of media outlets should take responsibility for affirming nonjudgmental support for people living with HIV and high-risk communities.
 
·         Promote public leadership of people living with HIV: Governments and other institutions (including HIV prevention community planning groups and Ryan White planning councils and consortia) should work with people with AIDS coalitions, HIV services organizations, and other institutions to actively promote public leadership by people living with HIV.
 
·         Promote public health approaches to HIV prevention and care: State legislatures should consider reviewing HIV-specific criminal statutes to ensure that they are consistent with current knowledge of HIV transmission and support public health approaches to preventing and treating HIV.
 
·         Strengthen enforcement of civil rights laws: The Department of Justice and Federal agencies must enhance cooperation to facilitate enforcement of Federal antidiscrimination laws.
 
Globally, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has had a transformational impact on stigma by replacing despair with hope.  Perhaps the single most important step has been making lifesaving antiretroviral treatment widely available – currently supporting treatment for nearly 4.5 million people.  As people on treatment return to health, HIV becomes known as a manageable chronic condition and the stigma around the disease has greatly diminished.  This development also increases people’s willingness to get tested and learn their HIV status – a key gateway to prevention, treatment, and care.
 
PEPFAR programs address the needs of marginalized populations that face elevated risks of HIV infection, tailoring programs to meet their needs in ways that are sensitive to their situations.  PEPFAR also confronts the gender dynamics around HIV that fuel discrimination by supporting significant work in the field to mainstream efforts to end gender-based violence into existing HIV programs. Over the last two years, PEPFAR has invested a total of $155 million in related programming, making PEPFAR one of the largest investors worldwide.  In FY2011, PEPFAR supported post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV infection for survivors of sexual violence to almost 47,061 people, nearly 34% more than the year before.
 
American Leadership in Action
 
The President has taken significant action steps eliminating barriers to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, as recently evidenced by his support for marriage equality, and the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits insurance companies from charging women more than men. The Department of Justice has taken unprecedented steps to enforce civil rights laws that protect the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS, and has launched a website dedicated to fighting discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (ada.gov/AIDS). The President also recently appointed a Federal work group to take action on the intersections of HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and gender-related health disparities.  Similarly, PEPFAR is working to support hundreds of thousands of communities and families as they shelter, educate, and love the millions of children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable due to AIDS.
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 21, 2012

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Remembering the Victims of the Aurora, Colorado Shooting

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.govat 6:00AM ET, Saturday, July 21, 2012.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
July 21, 2012

As many of you know, early on Friday, at least twelve people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.  Dozens more are being treated for injuries at local hospitals.  Some of the victims are being treated at a children’s hospital. 

We are still gathering all the facts about what happened, but we do know that the police have one suspect in custody.  And the federal government stands ready to do everything necessary to bring whoever’s responsible for this heinous crime to justice.  We will take every step possible to ensure the safety of all our people.  And we will stand by our neighbors in Colorado during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Even as we come to learn how this happened and who’s responsible, we may never understand what leads anyone to terrorize their fellow human beings.  Such evil is senseless – beyond reason.  But while we will never know fully what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes that life worth living. 

The people we lost in Aurora loved, and were loved.  They were mothers and fathers; husbands and wives; sisters and brothers; sons and daughters; friends and neighbors.  They had hopes for the future and dreams that were not yet fulfilled.  And if there’s anything to take away from this tragedy, it’s a reminder that life is fragile.  Our time here is limited and it is precious.  And what matters in the end are not the small and trivial things which often consume our lives.  It’s how we choose to treat one another, and love one another.  It’s what we do on a daily basis to give our lives meaning and to give our lives purpose.  That’s what matters.  That’s why we’re here.

I’m sure many of you who are parents had the same reaction I did when you first heard this news: what if it had been my daughters at the theater, doing what young children enjoy doing every day?  Michelle and I will be fortunate enough to hug our girls a little tighter this weekend, as I’m sure you will do with your children.  But for those parents who may not be so fortunate, we need to embrace them and let them know we will be there for them as a nation.

This weekend I hope everyone takes some time for prayer and reflection – for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for those who are still struggling to recover, and for all the victims of the less publicized acts of violence that plague our communities on a daily basis.  Let us keep all these Americans in our prayers.  And to the people of Aurora, may the Lord bring you comfort and healing in the hard days to come. 

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Ramadan

On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world at the start of Ramadan. For Muslims, Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection; a time of joy and celebration. It’s a time to cherish family, friends, and neighbors, and to help those in need.

This year, Ramadan holds special meaning for those citizens in the Middle East and North Africa who are courageously achieving democracy and self-determination and for those who are still struggling to achieve their universal rights. The United States continues to stand with those who seek the chance to decide their own destiny, to live free from fear and violence, and to practice their faith freely. Here in the United States, Ramadan reminds us that Islam is part of the fabric of our Nation, and that—from public service to business, from healthcare and science to the arts—Muslim Americans help strengthen our country and enrich our lives.

Even as Ramadan holds profound meaning for the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, it is also a reminder to people of all faiths of our common humanity and the commitment to justice, equality, and compassion shared by all great faiths. In that spirit, I wish Muslims across America and around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.   

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Message -- Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") taking additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13536 of April 12, 2010 (E.O. 13536).

In E.O. 13536, I found that that the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, which have repeatedly been the subject of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and violations of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 733 of January 23, 1992, and elaborated upon and amended by subsequent resolutions, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. To address that threat, E.O. 13536 blocks the property and interests in property of persons listed in the Annex to E.O. 13536 or determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to meet criteria specified in E.O. 13536.

In view of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2036 of February 22, 2012, and Resolution 2002 of July 29, 2011, I am issuing the order to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency declared in E.O. 13536 and to address exports of charcoal from Somalia, which generate significant revenue for al-Shabaab; the misappropriation of Somali public assets; and certain acts of violence committed against civilians in Somalia, all of which contribute to the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia.

The order prohibits the importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of charcoal from Somalia. It also amends the designation criteria specified in E.O. 13536. As amended by the order, E.O. 13536 provides for the designation of persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to:

• have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia, including but not limited to:

o acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of August 18, 2008, or the political process;o acts that threaten the Transitional Federal Institutions or future Somali governing institutions, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or

other future international peacekeeping operations related to Somalia; or

o acts to misappropriate Somali public assets;

• have obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia;

• have directly or indirectly supplied, sold or transferred to Somalia, or to have been the recipient in the territory of Somalia of, arms or any related materiel, or any technical advice, training, or assistance, including financing and financial assistance, related to military activities;

• be responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or to have participated in, the commission of acts of violence targeting civilians in Somalia, including killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, taking hostages, and forced displacement;

• be a political or military leader recruiting or using children in armed conflict in Somalia;

• have engaged, directly or indirectly, in the import or export of charcoal from Somalia on or after February 22, 2012;

• have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities described above or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13536; or

• be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13536.

The designation criteria will be applied in accordance with applicable Federal law including, where appropriate, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In view of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2002 of July 29, 2011, persons who engage in non-local commerce via al-Shabaab-controlled ports that constitutes support for a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13536 may be subject to designation pursuant to E.O. 13536, as amended by the order.

The order was effective at 2:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on July 20, 2012. I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All agencies of the United States Government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Readout of the President’s Call with Police Chief Oates and His Oval Office Briefing with Senior Administration Officials

This afternoon, the President telephoned Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates from the Oval Office to tell him that his and Michelle’s thoughts and prayers are with the community of Aurora, particularly the local first responders who have performed well under difficult and stressful circumstances.  The President also told Chief Oates that he should expect the full support of the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies moving forward, including any resources they need to handle the ongoing situation at the suspect’s apartment.

Earlier today, upon his return to the White House from Florida, the President, along with Vice President Biden, received a briefing on the investigation of the Aurora, Colorado, shooting from: FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.  

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon to Travel to China and Japan

On July 22, 2012, National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon will travel to Beijing, China for meetings with senior Chinese officials, including State Councilor Dai Bingguo.  Mr. Donilon will discuss the current and future state of U.S.-China relations and cooperation on regional and global challenges of mutual concern including nonproliferation, regional security in Asia and the Middle East, and global economic growth. Mr. Donilon will then travel to Tokyo for consultations with senior Japanese officials on U.S.-Japan security cooperation and other bilateral issues, as well as a range of regional and global challenges.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Readout of the President’s Phone Call with Prime Minister Borissov of Bulgaria

President Obama spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Borissov today to express his condolences for Wednesday’s terrorist attack that killed Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver in Burgas, Bulgaria.  The President reiterated his condemnation of the barbaric attack. He offered his support for the ongoing investigation, and for the Bulgarian people in this challenging time. The leaders discussed the strong partnership and excellent counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and Bulgaria, and the President expressed his appreciation for Bulgaria’s important contributions as a NATO member to international peace and security.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Shooting in Colorado

Jill and I were shocked to learn of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado this morning. The reason this is so deeply felt by all Americans is that, but for the grace of God, the victims could have been any one of our children, in any one of our towns. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to receive ‘that phone call’ and to sit by their child’s bedside, praying. We know what it’s like to wait and wonder and the helplessness a parent feels at this moment. Our hearts go out to each and every person who is suffering right now as a result of this terrible event. The prayers of an entire nation are with the victims and their families. We stand with the city of Aurora and the state of Colorado in mourning.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2012

Statement by President Barack Obama on the Shooting in Colorado

Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.