H.Res. 955

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 955 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.
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