The news about the Zika virus keeps getting worse. Democrats also don’t like that the bill takes money from other programs to pay for Zika research and prevention. Republicans countered that the objection was a flimsy excuse compared to the Zika threat. Patty Murray, of Washington, hashed out a plan agreeing to the $1.1 billion in emergency funding.
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Democrats accuse the GOP of ignoring an important health crisis while Republicans say Democrats are playing politics with the legislation by blocking it.
Six months after President Raul Castro declared war on the Zika virus in Cuba, a militarized nationwide campaign of intensive mosquito spraying, monitoring and quarantine appears to be working. The Hill reported that Democrats almost unanimously voted to block the bill because of language targeting funding for Planned Parenthood.
It’s possible the Senate could leave the House with a must-pass resolution without that provision, if Senate Republicans drop it to bring Senate Democrats on board.
“Republicans were more interested in attacking Planned Parenthood and flying the confederate flag than protecting women and babies from this bad virus”, said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. One major stumbling block for the Democrats has been additions to the bill that would strip Planned Parenthood of its ability to offer contraceptives to prevent the virus from spreading through sexual transmission, according to The New York Times. But CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said the agency will run out of money month for Zika efforts unless Congress steps up to the plate.
In a related move Tuesday, Reid said Democrats would work to increase pressure on Republicans to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Lawmakers should summon up a much-needed sense of urgency and get Zika funding passed before they go. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said he opposed the strategy of including a Planned Parenthood poison pill, which prompted Democrats to reject the bill. “Since then, it has become clear that Congressional Republicans would rather limit access to family planning services – which puts millions more women at risk of contracting Zika and giving birth to a child with microcephaly – than ensure that we are fully prepared to combat this disease”.
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In this frame grab from video provided by C-SPAN, Republican David Jolly, R-Fla. holds a container of mosquitoes while speaking of the House floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
