Florida lawmakers have been among the most vocal in getting Zika funding passed.
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The news comes as Congress returns from their seven-week summer recess and promptly entered into a gridlock related to Zika funding. The Obama administration and many Republicans are opposed to a bill that would place blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Harry Reid also chimed in, saying, “Republicans were more interested in attacking Planned Parenthood and flying the confederate flag … than protecting women and babies from this very bad virus”.
In the debate leading up to the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Democrats of pointing “to a series of partisan excuses” in order to drag their feet.
Read the full story at The Hill here.
The World Health Organization says the outbreak of Zika remains an worldwide health emergency and noted the virus is continuing to infect new countries.
Senators are optimistic that Zika funding will be easily attached and approved by the chamer in a continuing spending resolution, which could put House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in an uncomfortable position.
Democrats are blocking the legislation over objections to what they charge are politically-motivated provisions added to the bill by Republicans, including language preventing the Zika funds from being used by Planned Parenthood and provisions relaxing use of certain pesticides.
Democrats have rejected that provision, saying many lower-income women rely on Planned Parenthood for their health-care needs, particularly in Puerto Rico, where Zika infections are becoming widespread.
State officials have called on lawmakers to release funds to help fight the spread of the disease, which is linked to severe birth defects in pregnant women.
The procedural vote needed 60 votes to move forward.
“Give us an up-or-down vote, straight, on Zika”, Biden, a former Democratic senator from DE, said at an event on Capitol Hill with fellow Democrats from the Senate and House of Representatives. It’s the third time Senate Democrats have filibustered the bill.
“Every time he surprises me he comes back and outdoes himself and surprises me again”, said Sen.
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Tuesday’s vote followed a day of floor discussion about the effects and spread of Zika, a topic that included some out-of-the-ordinary speeches by members in both the House and the Senate.
