Statement of Administration Policy: S. 1220 - AIDS Research and Information Act of 1987

(Senate)
(Kennedy (D) Massachusetts and 20 others)

The Administration shares the concerns of the Labor and Human Resources Committee regarding AIDS as a major national and international health problem. We agree that agressive steps should be taken to prevent, treat, and find a cure for AIDS, and have sought over $2.2 billion in the President's FY 1989 budget for AIDS-related research, prevention, and treatment, a 42 percent increase over FY 1988. Federal staff working on all aspects of the AIDS problem have been increased.

We believe major, restrictive legislation such as S. 1220 would disrupt our efforts against AIDS. Impressive advances in AIDS research and prevention have been achieved under broad statutory authorities which permit rapid and flexible responses to changing research opportunities. Similarly, Medicaid is available to impoverished AIDS patients under current statutes. S. 1220, by narrowing research authorities and locking managerial decisions in statute, would impede responses to future opportunities.

HHS is actively pursuing management and program improvements consistent with its best scientific judgment. Some of these improvements parallel provisions of S. 1220. All AIDS activities, including research funding decisions and reviews of investigational drugs, have been accelerated without new statutory requirements.