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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 955 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 955
Recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending
pediatric HIV/AIDS worldwide.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 17, 2025
Ms. McClellan (for herself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Pocan, Mr.
Carson, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms.
Norton, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Whitesides, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Davis of
Illinois, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Garcia of Texas,
Mrs. Ramirez, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Carter of Louisiana,
Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Ross, Ms. Randall, Ms. Tlaib, and
Mr. Garcia of California) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending
pediatric HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Whereas approximately 53 percent of the 40,800,000 people living with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the pathogen that causes the acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), worldwide are women and girls, and
1,400,000 are children in 2024;
Whereas HIV is a leading cause of death among women of childbearing age
worldwide;
Whereas AIDS is a leading cause of death among adolescent girls globally;
Whereas women around the world rely on essential prenatal and postnatal care to
provide screening for diseases such as HIV and care for their health and
the health of their infants;
Whereas, when antiretroviral drugs are used as prophylaxis, mother-to-child
transmission of HIV can be reduced to less than 5 percent;
Whereas, in 2005, only 17 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women living
with HIV were receiving treatment and services for prevention of mother-
to-child transmission and that number rose to 84 percent in 2024;
Whereas 45 percent of new HIV infections globally are among women and girls in
2024;
Whereas, globally, 67 percent of infants born to pregnant women living with HIV
receive a virologic test within the first 2 months of birth;
Whereas, without treatment, half of all children with HIV will die by their
second birthday, and 80 percent by their fifth birthday;
Whereas, in 2018, nearly 90 percent of pregnant women living with HIV in need of
HIV services worldwide live in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas 86 percent of children living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas, despite increased global and United States efforts, an estimated 83
percent of the 120,000 children who become infected with HIV in 2024
were in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas progress in meeting the global 95-95-95 treatment targets by 2030, which
calls for 95 percent of those living with HIV to know their status, 95
percent of those who know their status to be on treatment, and 95
percent of those on treatment to be virally suppressed and sustained, is
slower among children (63 percent-87 percent-86 percent) than adults (87
percent-89 percent-94 percent);
Whereas 55 percent of children living with HIV were on life-saving
antiretroviral therapy in 2024 compared to 78 percent of adults
globally;
Whereas 75,000 children died of AIDS-related causes in 2024;
Whereas, every week, approximately 4,000 adolescent girls and young women aged
15 to 24 years became infected with HIV globally in 2023, and 3,100 of
these infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Whereas research efforts at the National Institutes of Health have led to
extraordinary breakthroughs for children infected with and at risk for
contracting HIV;
Whereas the United States began investing in prevention of mother-to-child
transmission (PMTCT) services in 2002 with the announcement of the
United States International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative;
Whereas, in 2022, The Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children by 2030, which
includes international partners like the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria (Global Fund), was established to address the growing treatment
gap between adults and children;
Whereas the first phase of the Global Alliance focuses on 12 of the most
affected countries, many of whom have achieved strong coverage of
lifelong antiretroviral therapy among pregnant and breastfeeding women
since the establishment of the Alliance;
Whereas, in January 2024, the United States celebrated the 21st anniversary of
the establishment of PEPFAR;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2023, PEPFAR supported HIV testing and counseling for
more than 71,100,000 people and since the program's inception the
provision of antiretroviral drug prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child
transmission has allowed nearly 5,500,000 babies to be born HIV free;
Whereas, in 2023, the Global Fund supported programs that provided 695,000
pregnant women living with HIV with antiretroviral drug prophylaxis to
prevent the transmission of HIV to their children;
Whereas, in September 2025, the Department of State included the goal of ending
mother-to-children transmission of HIV in several high-burden countries
in its new Global Health Strategy;
Whereas, with the Department of State support for rollout of the new long-acting
HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, women will soon have the option of
receiving two injections over a 1-year period of time to protect
themselves and their children from acquiring HIV across pregnancy, labor
and delivery, and breastfeeding;
Whereas every mother should have the opportunity to fight for the life of her
child; and
Whereas every child and adolescent should have access to medicines to lead a
long and healthy life: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV
worldwide;
(2) recognizes that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV
worldwide has been a priority area for the United States in its
global AIDS response for more than over two decades and calls
on this leadership to continue;
(3) supports providing adolescents and young women with the
evidence-based approaches necessary to prevent new HIV
infections;
(4) supports providing women and children with HIV
counseling, testing services, and access to new long-acting
prevention methods where possible, and scaling up access to
services and medicines that prevent mother-to-child
transmission of HIV and ensure pregnant women living with HIV
survive and thrive;
(5) supports scaling up of treatment for HIV for children
and adolescents including greater access to more efficacious
antiretroviral drug regimens, age-appropriate services, and
support for their caregivers;
(6) supports the 4 pillars of collective action of the
Global Alliance including;
(A) closing the treatment gap for pregnant and
breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with
HIV and optimizing continuity of treatment;
(B) preventing and detecting new HIV infections
among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and
women;
(C) accessible testing, optimized treatment, and
comprehensive care for infants, children, and
adolescents exposed to and living with HIV; and
(D) addressing rights, gender equality, and the
social and structural barriers that hinder access to
services;
(7) applauds the United States leadership on efforts to
eliminate new pediatric HIV infections and to scale-up
pediatric treatment through programs and research;
(8) encourages PEPFAR to continue its leadership through
the creation of a standalone pediatric HIV strategy that is in
alignment with--
(A) the priority actions for children as defined in
the standalone pediatric AIDS strategy; and
(B) the goals of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in
Children by 2030; and
(9) reaffirms the United States commitment to lead the
world to the end of AIDS, to eliminate new pediatric HIV
infections worldwide, and support women, children, adolescents,
and families infected and affected by HIV.
<all>
Submitted in House
Submitted in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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