News Release

STATEMENT BY MIKE LEAVITT
Secretary of Health and Human Services
On President's Signing of Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization

I am very pleased that President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act into law earlier today.

For two years, we have been working with Congress on a bipartisan basis to ensure access to this critical program. CARE Act programs administered by this Department's Health Resources and Services Administration support primary health care, support services and medications that help more than 530,000 low-income, uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS. As the President has said, the new legislation focuses on life-saving and life-extending services and increased accountability. It also provides more flexibility to direct funding to areas of greatest need.

These themes were stressed in our efforts to reauthorize these vital services, and I thank Members of Congress for working in a bipartisan manner to pass this essential legislation.

Additional information about HIV/AIDS is available at www.AIDS.gov.

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Last revised: December 19, 2006