Though votes regarding the Zika funding bill are still a week away, senators and aides are look for a quick breakthrough.
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For the third time in a row, Democrats have voted against a $1 billion plan to fund anti-Zika efforts because it does not including funding for Planned Parenthood facilities in Puerto Rico. Using contraceptives is a way to hinder the spread of the virus.
The CDC reports that there were 35 cases of locally-transmitted cases of Zika in the United States as of August 31.
The Zika virus is linked to severe birth defects, including microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. It was simple legislation and provided the money on top of the more than $600 million in existing funds already being used by the administration in response to the Zika threat.
This time pressure has many, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for re-election, and Sen. “Put the nonsense aside, stop the pointless political posturing and do your job”.
“We can’t neglect that any longer”, Cornyn said. Nelson said the path forward is perhaps another vote, though he offered no timeline.
If an agreement is not reached, the government could shut down on September 30, just a few weeks before the presidential and congressional elections. What’s clear is tensions are boiling.
– Hillary Clinton: Furious the FBI didn’t recommend charges against their political rival over her private email server, Republicans now are demanding that the Justice Department open a new investigation into whether the Democratic presidential nominee lied during testimony past year before a House panel investigating the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya.
The House rejected that proposal after conservatives objected to the amount of funding.
“I’m still stunned that the Republican leader made a decision to have a seven-week vacation, and it was more important to do that than funding our nation’s Zika response”, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said.
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol Wednesday, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (R-South Dakota) said Democrats keep blocking the legislation because they are “beholden” to “special interests”.
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“We passed something here with 89 votes”.
