Lawmakers returned to work this week after a seven-week summer recess.
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An American flag flies over Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016, as lawmakers return from a 7-week break.
Senate leaders in both parties said Wednesday they’re talking with the White House about two major issues that remain unaddressed this year: approving emergency money to fight the Zika virus and keeping most of the federal government funded after the end of the month. The exercise accomplished little more than giving GOP advertisement writers the ability to say Democrats voted against a Zika bill repeatedly.
Democrats blocked the measure in June and blocked it again 52-46 late Tuesday afternoon in a procedural vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to surmount a filibuster.
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. In fact, Florida Republican Rep. David Jolly even brought a container of 100 live Aedis egypti mosquitoes – the kind that carry the virus – to the House floor.
So, when a Zika funding measure didn’t get enough votes Tuesday, Scott-in a statement-said he’s “disappointed” and “hopes Congress and the President will quickly agree on funding to combat Zika.” Sen.
In a pair of votes, Democrats blocked taking up GOP bills to pay for a public health response to the virus and to fund the Pentagon next year leaving in doubt Congress’ ability to pass either bill. The bill includes some provisions that Democrats labeled “poison pill riders”, that, among other things, effectively block funding from going to Planned Parenthood affiliates. Nelson said the path forward is perhaps another vote, though he offered no timeline.
“If $1.1 billion is passed by the Senate on a bipartisan basis and it were put on the floor I think it would pass”, Hoyer said. They cut funding for the Veteran’s Administration by half a billion. That means lawmakers will have to pass legislation to extend current spending and keep the government open just weeks before the November election.
Republicans shouldn’t need self-interest to help Florida and other Zika-prone states.
According to USA Today, Rubio’s home state of Florida now has over 700 Zika cases, including 80 involving pregnant women.
-Defense policy: Members of a House-Senate conference who are working to write a final defense policy bill for the coming fiscal year are grappling with a range of issues, including the total amount to spend on the military and whether women should be required to register for a potential military draft.
“Senate Democrats played politics”, she said on WMT AM 600.
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“Rather than continuing to work with Democrats, Republicans chose to appease a group so extreme that they didn’t even want Zika funding to begin with”, he said in a statement.
