House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Democrats want Zika funding added to stop-gap legislation that Congress must pass by October 1 to keep federal agencies operating. Democrats cited the reason for blocking the bill was because Republican members sabotaged the legislation with a politically-charged agenda. There’s some people that want the display in some areas.
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“We’re going to work through these issues and I’m sure we’ll have a successful outcome to make sure just that the trains are running on time”, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told hometown radio host Stan Milam of AM 1380 in Janesville on Tuesday.
“I’m still stunned that the Republican leader chose 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.
The potential Senate Zika measure could advance as part of a broader legislative effort to temporarily keep federal agencies operating in the 2017 fiscal year that begins October 1.
Florida’s Democratic Senator, Bill Nelson, said Republicans had ruined any chances of the Zika bill being passed by adding so many stipulations to which they knew Democrats would never agree. “Deal with it. Give us an up-or-down vote straight on Zika”, Biden said. “It should not be off-set (requiring cuts in other government programs), because it is an emergency”.
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, said that although efforts to fight the virus had produced encouraging results, the problem was far from over. “Can’t make that stuff up – that’s really the truth – than protecting women and babies from this very bad virus”, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said from the Senate floor, according to the Hill. “Let’s stop these political games”.
Other Floridians in Congress are similarly frustrated.
In a private meeting convened Friday by House Speaker Paul Ryan, a vast majority of the 50 rank-and-file Republicans who spoke favored approving a short-term stop-gap bill until December 9, several attendees said.
“This is the fear of Floridians, right here”, Jolly said.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, spoke minutes before him and decried political “paralysis”.
Those riders are at the heart of the stalemate. Democrats also say the bill strips a ban on Confederate flags in military cemeteries.
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There have been 2,700 cases of the virus in the US, according to the Center for Disease Control. He said in an election year, party leaders are scratching to find issues to help turn out voters, and in this case abortion politics is the tool.
