But Republican National Committee spokesperson Ninio Fetalvo says Kaine’s call to end recess in order to vote on Zika funding, but then not appearing for Tuesday’s vote is “hypocritical”. Patty Murray, of Washington, hashed out a plan agreeing to the $1.1 billion in emergency funding.
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As Florida is struggling to contain the spread of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause debilitating, even fatal, side effects, members of Congress are busy bickering, pointing fingers, and sabotaging a Zika bill that would provide federal funding to help fight the savage disease.
“It’s also hard to explain why – despite the array of terror attacks we’ve seen across the world – Senate Democrats made a decision to block a bill that could help keep the American people safer from threats”.
On Tuesday night, Democrats blocked a bill. “Republicans were more interested in attacking Planned Parenthood and flying the Confederate flag ― can’t make that stuff up; that’s really the truth ― than protecting women and babies from this terrible virus”.
Despite McConnell’s insistence that the barring of Planned Parenthood from using the Zika funds is not of partisan nature, other Senate Republicans, such as Sen. Perhaps more vital to the country as a whole, Congress is expected to finalize a resolution to keep the government-funded past a September 30th deadline. Democrats also oppose the bill because the funding would not be distributed to clinics in Puerto Rico that are affiliated with Planned Parenthood, a women’s health care and abortion provider.
“There’s no Planned Parenthood in this bill, and to put an earmark for Planned Parenthood is something that we won’t do”, he said at a press conference.
“It’s our insistence that any short-term [continuing resolution] include Zika and what we call the clean Zika bill, and they understand that”, Durbin said.
Led by Senate Democrats protesting language they say will limit funding to Planned Parenthood, lawmakers voted down the spending package by a 52-46 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move forward on the legislation. Rep. David Jolly (R-Florida) spoke on the House floor holding a jar of mosquitos he had brought from his home state of Florida, which has locally-transmitted cases of Zika.
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Hoyer said an extension of current spending “should be in my view be passed as soon as possible, it should go to sometime in December” and budget work should be finished by the end of the year.
