Fed up with inaction on pending legislation to fund Zika research, Florida Rep. David Jolly took to the House floor on Wednesday with a container filled with 100 mosquitoes.
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Congress returned from a seven-week vacation and landed in the same predicament regarding emergency funding for Zika prior to their break.
But Republican Congressman David Jolly chose to make a point today by bringing a container of them to the House floor.
The effects of Zika are not very severe for most adults, but for pregnant women, the virus can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly and other severe health problems for babies. He said his colleagues would feel the same fear that is felt now by people in Florida.
His reasoning was that he wanted to scare the lawmakers with the mosquitoes, the way they scare his constituents.
The state also has marked areas in Miami-Dade County where “active local Zika virus transmission” is occurring, as opposed to travelers who get the virus overseas. Travel-related cases involve people being infected elsewhere and bringing the virus into the state.
The Obama administration tried obtaining $1.9 billion in emergency funding to battle the virus. The bill is stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are blocking it in a dispute over restrictions on Planned Parenthood.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) did not seem impressed, or at least not impressed enough to give up Republican insistence on attaching unrelated provisions to the funding. When asked about the bill, Ryan stated in his weekly press briefing in Washington, D.C., “Give me a break on this thing”.
“Let’s give the babies a break, Mr. Speaker. Let’s pass this bill”, Pelosi said.
Florida’s Republicans, at least, are beginning to side with Democrats.
Jolly, a first-term representative has distanced himself hardline Republican views on climate change and guns, also lamented that the issue of Zika would be used for political attacks ahead of the election.
With Congress showing no signs of breaking its long deadlock over funding to fight the Zika virus, Florida lawmakers Wednesday threw in behind a new weapon – Franken-skeeters. He said it is too bad that candidates are going to spend money on campaign commercials about Zika, instead of responding together to solve the public health crisis.
“This modified mosquito, developed by the company Oxitec, has proven exceptionally effective”, said their letter to U.S.
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As these congressmen continue to argue, the virus continues to spread.
